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Quincy Jones‘ death on Sunday night at the age of 91 has affected almost everyone who has had anything to do with popular music in the past seven decades — including a ton of prominent figures in Hip Hop and R&B.
Jones was instrumental in the creation of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the show’s star Will Smith paid tribute by sharing a photo of the two of them on what appeared to be the set of the sitcom.
“Quincy Jones is the true definition of a Mentor, a Father and a Friend,” Smith wrote. “He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.”
Frank Ocean made a rare social media appearance to acknowledge the legendary producer and composer’s death, sharing on his Instagram Story a screenshot of Jones’ 1989 collaboration with Big Daddy Kane and Kool Moe Dee, “Jazz Corner of the Word (Introduction to ‘Birdland’),” from the Grammy-winning Back on the Block LP.
Ice-T, who appeared on that album’s title track, noted: “I won my 1st Grammy with Quincy and I live with his Wisdom daily… This one Hit me.”
Dr. Dre acknowledged the inspiration Jones had provided.
“Quincy is the reason why I decided to become a record producer. His records were my go-to when I started engineering,” he wrote on Instagram.
“All of the time that I spent hanging out with him was priceless and I love how open he was- the advice he gave me, the conversations we had have helped me in my life and career.”
See more tributes below.
Jones, who also worked with names as eclectic as Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson, died at his Los Angeles home on Sunday night (November 3).
The news was revealed by Jones’ publicist, who released a statement from his family saying: “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.”
A cause of death has yet to be announced.
