Quincy Jones dies at 91: NPR

Quincy Jones pictured in Beverly Hills in 2017.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

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Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Quincy Jones pictured in Beverly Hills in 2017.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Quincy Jones, whose acclaimed music career spanned from the early 1950s to the best-known works of Michael Jackson and beyond, died on Sunday. He was 91.

His death was confirmed by his publicist in a statement to NPR that did not mention the cause of death. The statement said Jones died peacefully at his home in Bel Air, California.

In the 1980s, Jones helped oversee some of music's biggest and most beloved moments: he produced or co-produced three of Michael Jackson's best-selling albums, including 1982's Record Album thrillerand was instrumental in the creation of USA for Africa's 1985 charity single “We Are the World”. But his career spanned decades in both directions. Jones long held the record for most Grammy nominations with 80 before Jay-Z and Beyoncé surpassed the total earlier this decade, and his 28 wins puts him third behind Beyoncé (32) and conductor Georg Solti ( 31).

Born Quincy Delight Jones in 1933, Jones took up jazz – playing trumpet in Lionel Hampton's band at 19 – and was soon appearing on stages with some of the world's most famous stars: Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley.

During the 1960s, Jones became an accomplished film composer – receiving three of his seven Academy Award nominations in 1968 and 1969 – as well as a high-profile music industry manager, arranger and producer. On albums like The Big Wide World of Quincy Jones And Quincy Jones plays popular hitsHe was the headliner but also worked behind the scenes, producing a number of best-selling hits for Lesley Gore (among many others).

Throughout the '70s, Jones remained in the spotlight as a performer and manager, expanding his reach with high-profile projects such as The Soundtrack The magician. But in the 1980s his name was linked to a remarkable string of successes, from We Are the World to We Are the World. thriller on his first foray into film production: 1985s The color purplewho made Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg movie stars. Jones is full of stars Back on the blockwhich was released in 1989, won the 1991 Grammy for Album of the Year.

Jones' successes extended far beyond music and film. Shortly after founding Quincy Jones Entertainment in 1990, he helmed long-running TV hits such as ” The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air And MADtv. His 2001 book Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones detailed his many encounters with music's biggest moments and stars, as well as his mental health struggles and difficult childhood in Chicago. Jones' philanthropic work extended far beyond the United States to Africa, benefiting causes such as music preservation, arts education and helping underprivileged youth.

Jones' turbulent personal life included three marriages and seven children, including actresses Kidada and Rashida Jones – his daughters with actress Peggy Lipton – and Kenya Kinski-Jones, a model whose mother is German actress and model Nastassja Kinski.