Musical Icon Quincy Jones Passes Away at 91, Leaving Legacy of Legendary Hits

Musical titan Quincy Jones, the composer and producer who lent his distinctive polish to recordings by artists from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, has died, according to his representatives. He was 91.

Jones passed away Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, California, surrounded by his children, siblings, and other family members, his publicist said in a statement.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the Jones family said in 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. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly. We take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy that were the essence of his being were shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”

A renowned jazz and pop musician, Jones was also a prolific cross-genre arranger, conductor, record label executive, and civil rights advocate. His talent and drive led to an almost unparalleled career in entertainment.

His long and varied list of credits includes composing the score for the Oscar-winning film In the Heat of the Night, producing Michael Jackson’s blockbuster Thriller album, and gathering dozens of pop and rock stars to record the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”

Born in Chicago to a carpenter father and a mother who suffered from mental illness, Jones developed a love of music early. (CNN)