“Q” is what everyone called him.
Quincy Jones, the greatest of the great, composer, conductor, producer, has died at age 91. He was a giant. There’s no other word to describe him. He was music royalty. (Aretha Franklin even bowed down to him.) I was lucky enough to know him for many years.
There’s a comprehensive obit in the NY Times, although you can never get enough in because was 24/7 legend who never stopped. He wrote Soul Bossa Nova, produced Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party,” the theme song for “Sanford and Son,” and worked with Frank Sinatra for years. He had major funk hits with the Brothers Johnson (“Strawberry Letter 23,” “Stomp,” “I’ll Be Good to Ya” in the mid 70s.
After all that fame, he hit it bigger than ever producing Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” albums. “Thriller” is the best selling album of all time right up to this minute. In 2985, Quincy produced and orchestrated “We Are the World,” the all star charity video. His famous line to the 30 more superstars: “Check your ego at the door.”
Twenty five years later he conducted an anniversary version featuring Barbra Streisand among others. The whole “We Are the World” experience was chronicled in the exceptional documentary.
Q was married four times, most famously to “Mod Squad” actress Peggy Lipton, and had a three year relationship with actress Nastassja Kinski. He had 7 children including the actress Rashida Jones. He loved the nightlife, and parties. We often joked about how the girlfriends and dates were getting younger as he got older. He told me, half joking. that his age and the girls’ couldn’t add up to more than 100. I asked him, what happens when you’re 82 and she’s 18? He said, “We’ll see about that.”
No one was kinder or smarter. We just hit it off, which was very special to this music fan. Quincy Jones had an amazing life. He and actor Michael Caine were born on the same day — March 14th — in the same year and often celebrated together. Imagine that back when “Bad” and “We Are the World” came out, it was the same time he composed the music for the movie, “The Color Purple,” which he co-produced with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.
This is stunning: Q had 28 Grammy Awards, an Emmy and a Tony, and an honorary Oscar. He also had 7 Oscar nominations. The accolades, philanthropy, just went on and on. He was a man who loved and enjoyed people and welcomed everyone who approached him.
Years ago he invented very crazy, expensive headphones for JBL/Harman Kardan. He gave me a pair that I still treasure. They’re huge and a little clunky, like wearing a recording studio on your head! I will wear them today listening to all his hits. Q, you will be sorely missed!
