Michael Jackson’s producer, Quincy Jones, dies at 91

Quincy Jones, a towering figure in the music world, passed away at 91, according to reports from US media on Monday.

His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed the news but did not reveal a cause of death.

A renowned jazz artist, arranger, and cultural icon, Jones bridged connections between the legends of 20th-century music. “From Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, jazz to hip-hop,” his expertise in the studio allowed him to “track the ever-fluctuating pulse of pop” over a career spanning more than seven decades. He frequently “manipulated the beat himself.”

Born on Chicago’s South Side in 1933, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. discovered his talent for the piano at a neighbourhood recreation center. As a teenager, he formed a friendship with Ray Charles, a bond that would greatly shape his musical path.

Jones briefly studied at Berklee College of Music before joining bandleader Lionel Hampton on tour. He later moved to New York, where his arranging skills soon attracted icons like Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, and Count Basie, as well as his old friend Charles.

His journey continued as he played second trumpet on Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie before relocating to Paris in 1957. There, he refined his craft further under the mentorship of celebrated composer Nadia Boulanger.