RIP: Quincy Jones Dead At 91

UPDATE 11/14: Quincy Jones’ cause of death has been revealed as pancreatic cancer; the renowned producer reportedly lived with it for years, according to CNN.

According to abc7.com, Quincy Jones, the hit-making producer and longtime powerhouse in the music industry, died on November 4. Jones was 91 years old and his death was announced by his publicist, Arnold Robinson, who said Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, California. Jones was surrounded by his family children and siblings at the time of his death.

Jones’ historic career ranged from producing Michael Jackson‘s record-setting “Thriller” to prize-winning film, television scores and collaborations with Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles. Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones would cite the hymns his mother sang around the house as the first music he could remember. But he looked back sadly on his childhood, once telling Oprah Winfrey that “There are two kinds of people: those who have nurturing parents or caretakers, and those who don’t. Nothing’s in between.” Jones’ mother suffered from emotional problems and was eventually institutionalized, a loss that made the world seem “senseless” for Quincy.

Over the past 60 years, it was hard to find someone in the music, television or movie industries who did not have some connection to Jones. The producer kept company presidents, foreign leaders, movie stars musicians, philanthropists and business leaders. He toured with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton and arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

Jones also composed the soundtracks for Roots and In the Heat of the Night, organized President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural celebration and oversaw the all-star recording of “We Are the World,” which is the 1985 charity record for famine relief in Africa. In a career that began when records were still played on vinyl, the top honors likely go to Jones’s productions with Jackson’s Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad were albums that brought their own style and appeal. Jones’ versatility and imagination helped set off the explosive talents of Jackson as he transformed from a child star to the King of Pop.