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Quincy Jones, musician and producer, one of the most strongest forces in American popular music for more than fifty years, worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many others, has died at the age of 91.
His death was confirmed in a statement by his publicist, Arnold Robinson, that did not mention a cause.
Arnold Robinson, said he "passed away peacefully" on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air.
"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," the family said in a statement.
Jones was best known as the producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller album.
Over his career that spanned more than 75 years, he won 28 Grammy awards and was named as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time magazine.
He worked closely with Frank Sinatra early in his career and reworked the crooner's classic Fly Me To The Moon, taking it from a waltz to a swing.
In the film The Wiz, Jones found himself working alongside a 19-year-old Michael Jackson. He went on to produce Jackson's album Off the Wall which sold 20 million copies.
He also produced the pop star's follow-ups, Thriller and Bad.
In 1985, Jones gathered 46 of America's most popular singers of the time, including Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper to record We Are the World.
Jones co-wrote the song to raise money for those suffering from a devastating famine in Ethiopia.
The record was the US equivalent to Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas.
The hit reached number one in the UK and the US and was performed at live Aid.
Jones also composed the soundtrack to more than 50 films and TV programmes including the 1969 British film, The Italian Job.
Mr Jones and Micheal Jackson at the Grammy Awards in 1984. He produced three of Micheal Jackon's albums. Photo: Associated Press
Michael Caine, who starred in The Italian Job, paid tribute to Jones on X, calling him "a titan in the musical world".
"He was a wonderful and unique human being, lucky to have known him."
On the big screen he produced the film The Color Purple which introduced the public to two then unknown performers - Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg.
On the small screen he was one of the producers behind the hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
But it was music where Jones excelled - as well as winning multiple Grammys, including a Legend award in 1992, he was also recognised by the Emmys, Tonys and Oscars.
Jones was married three times and had seven children, including music producer Quincy Jones III and actress Rashida Jones, known for the US version of The Office
Mr. Jones circa 1974. Credit A&M Records/ Michael Ochs Archives, via Getty Images
Jones' family said the music producer was "truly one of a kind" and "through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones' heart will beat for eternity".
One of the first to pay tribute was playwright Jeremy O'Harris, who wrote on X that Jones' "contributions to American culture were limitless", noting he was the first black person nominated for an Oscar for best score among his other achievements.
American rapper LL Cool J, who briefly dated Jones' daughter Kidada Jones, said on Instagram that Jones was "a father and example at a time when I truly needed a father".
美國音樂巨人昆西瓊斯去世，享年 91 歲
音樂家兼製作人昆西瓊斯(Quincy Jones) 去世，享年91 歲，他是五十多年來美國流行音樂界最強大的力量之一，曾與邁克爾傑克遜(Michael Jackson)、弗蘭克辛納屈(Frank Sinatra) 等許多人合作過。
他的公關阿諾德·羅賓遜在一份聲明中證實了他的死亡，但沒有提及死因。
阿諾德羅賓遜 (Arnold Robinson) 表示，他於週日晚上在貝萊爾 (Bel Air) 的家中「平靜地去世」。
「今晚，懷著飽滿而破碎的心情，我們必須分享我們的父親和兄弟昆西瓊斯去世的消息。儘管這對我們的家人來說是一個令人難以置信的損失，但我們慶祝他的偉大生活，並知道永遠不會有另一個人。
瓊斯最出名的身份是麥可傑克森驚悚專輯的製作人。
在他超過 75 年的職業生涯中，他獲得了 28 項葛萊美獎，並被《時代》雜誌評為 20 世紀最有影響力的爵士音樂家之一。
他在職業生涯早期與弗蘭克·辛納屈（Frank Sinatra）密切合作，並重新創作了這位歌手的經典歌曲《帶我飛向月球》（Fly Me To The Moon），將其從華爾茲改為搖擺樂。
在電影《綠野仙蹤》中，瓊斯發現自己與 19 歲的麥可傑克森一起工作。 他繼續製作了傑克森的專輯《Off the Wall》，銷量達到 2000 萬張。
他也製作了這位流行歌手的後續作品《Thriller》和《Bad》。
1985年，瓊斯召集了46位當時美國最受歡迎的歌手，包括傑克森、布魯斯史普林斯汀、蒂娜特納和辛蒂勞珀，錄製了《We Are the World》。
瓊斯與他人共同創作了這首歌，為埃塞俄比亞遭受毀滅性飢荒的人們籌集資金。
這張唱片在美國相當於Band Aid 的《Do They Know It's Christmas》。
這首熱門歌曲在英國和美國創下了第一名的成績，並在 Live Aid 上進行了表演。
瓊斯還為 50 多部電影和電視節目創作了配樂，其中包括 1969 年的英國電影《義大利工作》。
《義大利工作》的主演麥可凱恩在《X》中向瓊斯致敬，稱他為「音樂界的巨人」。
“他是一個奇妙而獨特的人，很幸運能夠認識他。”
他在大銀幕上製作了電影《紫色》，向大眾介紹了兩位當時默默無聞的演員——歐普拉溫芙瑞和烏比戈德堡。
在小銀幕上，他是熱門電視節目《新鮮王子妙事多》的製片人之一。
但瓊斯的出色之處在於音樂，他不僅贏得了多項格萊美獎，包括 1992 年的傳奇獎，還獲得了艾美獎、東尼獎和奧斯卡獎的認可。
瓊斯結過三次婚，育有七個孩子，包括音樂製作人昆西瓊斯三世和因美國版《辦公室》而聞名的女演員拉什達瓊斯
瓊斯的家人表示，這位音樂製作人“確實是獨一無二的”，“通過他的音樂和無限的愛，昆西瓊斯的心將永遠跳動”。
劇作家傑里米·奧哈里斯是最先表達敬意的人之一，他在X 上寫道，瓊斯“對美國文化的貢獻是無限的”，並指出他是第一位獲得奧斯卡最佳配樂獎提名的黑人。
美國說唱歌手 LL Cool J 曾與瓊斯的女兒基達達瓊斯短暫約會，他在 Instagram 上「在我真正需要父親的時候是一位父親和榜樣」。
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