Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer who worked with Michael Jackson, has died aged 91

4 November 2024, 08:14 | Updated: 4 November 2024, 10:01

The producer and composer has died at the age of 91.

Quincy Jones, a legend in the music industry who worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, has died aged 91.

The producer died at home surrounded by his family, his publicist confirmed.

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In a statement, his family said: "Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones' passing.

"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."

There were many highlights in Quincy's illustrious career, including producing Lesley Gore hits like 'It's My Party' and Michael Jackson's iconic Thriller album.

He was also a co-producer of Jackson's Off the Wall and Bad albums.

The music titan worked on the charity hit 'We Are The World' in 1985, and won an incredible 28 Grammy Awards throughout his decade-spanning career, making him the most nominated musician after Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Lionel Richie once called Jones 'the master orchestrator'.

Quincy Jones was born in 1933 in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, to bank officer and apartment complex manager mum Sarah Frances and semi-pro baseball player and carpenter dad Quincy Delight Jones.

He made his name in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor, before going on to make pop and crossover hits and working on movie songs and scores.

Quincy scored 1967's two classics In the Heat of the Night and Truman Copote’s In Cold Blood and became the first African American to win a Best Original Song nod at the Academy Awards for 'The Eyes of Love' from Banning.

Quincy married three times and had seven children with five different women. He was first married to Jeri Caldwell between 1957 and 1966, and they had one daughter together.

Jones was married to Ulla Anderson 1967 and they had two children together. He then married actress Peggy Lipton, and they had the actress daughters Kidada and Rashida together before divorcing in 1990.

Quincy had a relationship with another actor, Nastassja Kinski, from 1991 to 1995, and they also had one daughter together.