Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91

Jones won 28 Grammys, putting him behind only Beyoncé and Georg Solti

(Image credit: Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Spotify)

published 4 November 2024

What happened

Quincy Jones, a towering figure in music who produced hit albums for Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, died Sunday night at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist said early Monday morning. He was 91, and no cause of death was given.

Jones' death is "an incredible loss," his family said in a statement, but "we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him." He was "one of the most powerful forces in American popular music for more than half a century," The New York Times said, starting as a trumpet player then branching out to all corners of recorded music. Jones won 28 Grammys, putting him behind only Beyoncé and Georg Solti.

"Best known as the architect of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and the man who made stars collide for 1985's 'We Are the World,'" USA Today said, Jones "appears as a producer, composer, conductor, arranger or performer on more than 400 albums" by a who's who of jazz and pop artists. For decades, "it was unlikely to find a music lover who did not own at least one record with his name on it," The Associated Press said, and his "list of his honors and awards fills 18 pages in his 2001 autobiography."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.