Quincy Jones, peerless music giant, dies at 91

NEW YORK — Quincy Jones, the polymath hitmaker who ruled the American music industry with a magic touch for well over half a century, has died. He was 91 years old.

The singular artist was surrounded by family at his home in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Bel Air at the time of his death on Sunday, his publicist Arnold Robinson said in a statement, without specifying a cause.

"Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones' passing," his family said, according to the statement. "And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him."

"We take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created," their statement continued. "Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones' heart will beat for eternity."

From Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, jazz to hip-hop, Jones tracked the ever-fluctuating pulse of pop over his seven-decade-plus career -- most often orchestrating it himself.

A jazz musician, composer and tastemaker, Jones's studio chops and arranging prowess made him a star in his own right.

But his mark on the business side was indelible as well: Jones became the first Black executive of a major record company, and developed infrastructure within the industry to pave new pathways for Black artists.

"Today, we remember a true giant -- a cultural icon whose transformative influence will live on," posted Reverend Al Sharpton in tribute.

'You name it, Quincy's done it' 

Quincy Delight Jones Jr. ascended to the upper echelons of entertainment from humble beginnings, the grandson of a former slave who was born in 1933 on the south side of Chicago.

He discovered his natural aptitude for the piano at a recreation center, and later became teenage buddies with Ray Charles.

He briefly studied at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts before joining bandleader Lionel Hampton on the road, eventually relocating to New York, where he earned notoriety as an arranger for stars including Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Count Basie and Charles.

He played second trumpet on Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel", teaming up with Dizzy Gillespie for several years before moving to Paris in 1957, where he studied under the legendary composer Nadia Boulanger.

He wrote his own hits, like the addictively cacophonous "Soul Bossa Nova", while also arranging at a breathless pace for dozens of stars across the industry.

And his scores for film and television became instantly recognisable classics in their own right; in 1967, Jones was the first Black composer to be nominated in the original song category of the Oscars, for the film "Banning".

But even on top of that laundry list of accomplishments, Jones was perhaps best known for his work with Michael Jackson, producing "Thriller" as well as "Off the Wall" and "Bad".

Among entertainment's most decorated figures, Jones won virtually every major achievement award, including 28 Grammys.

He also started a label, founded a hip-hop magazine, and produced the 1990s hit television show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," discovering Will Smith.

"He pointed me towards the greatest parts of myself," wrote Smith on Monday. "He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly."

'What a guy' 

And as the tell-all celebrity interview grew increasingly rare, Jones remained one of entertainment's most opinionated gossips, beloved for his willingness to dish on the record.

He had tales about everyone from Sinatra and Jackson to Malcolm X and Prince, leading his daughters to reportedly nickname him LLQJ: Loose-lipped Quincy Jones.

From music to film, activism to theatre, figures from across entertainment paid homage to Jones's vast legacy upon news of his death.

"Music would not be music without you," said hip hop pioneer LL Cool J, as playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris posted that Jones's "contributions to American culture were limitless".

"Truly one of the greatest minds the music world has ever known," wrote the prolific musician Harry Connick Jr.

"Nobody had a career as incredible as Quincy Jones," posted Elton John. "He played with the best and he produced the best."