By james art 
Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, said he died Sunday evening at his home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, California, surrounded by his relatives.
The family of the jazz musician and record producer, known for his collaborations with music stars including Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, said they wanted to “celebrate the great life he lived and know that there will never be another like him “.
Asked if the words “legend” or “titan” would be an overstatement to describe the star, jazz-pop singer Cullum, 45, told BBC News: “This is one of those cases where it’s totally justified.
“It’s amazing to think you’re talking about one man, that amount of achievement, that amount of enthusiasm and creative explosions throughout his career.
“Not just in the early part, not just in the middle part, right up to the end of his life, he was still creating, still mentoring young artists, still creating ideas.
“And it was all at the very core based on this incredible talent and expertise that he honed over many years.”
Speaking about his personal relationship with Jones, he said: “I was actually very lucky to meet him quite a few times in my career, at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which he went to every year and just supported all the artists.
My heavenly twin Quincy was a titan in the music world. He was a wonderful and unique human being, lucky to have known him.
— Michael Caine (@themichaelcaine) November 4, 2024
“Not only would he play there over the years, he’d just sit on the side of the stage, not just the big shows but the small ones, checking out the artists, checking out who’s coming in, who’s the new talent.
“I got the great opportunity to interview him for Radio 2 at his house in Los Angeles and spent the afternoon talking to him about his career.
“And it was just amazing to be in the presence of so much charisma and passion, just completely unclouded by time or any cynicism.”
British actor Sir Michael Caine also paid tribute on Monday, who said in a post to X, formerly Twitter: “My heavenly twin Quincy was a titan in the world of music. He was a wonderful and unique human being, lucky to have known him.’
DJ David Guetta described Jones as a “legend” and recalled meeting him at the Grammys.
On Instagram, he said: “Thank you Quincy for everything you have given us. Your legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists to come.”
American actor Colman Domingo said he was “so excited to meet Mr. American Music” in a social media post, adding that he was “on one knee because he’s a king”.
A post on Bafta’s X page said: “In addition to his glittering career in popular music, Jones has also composed a huge number of film soundtracks, including The Italian Job, and turned to screen production with The Color Purple and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air . “
Born March 14, 1933, in Chicago and raised in Seattle, Washington, Jones began learning the trumpet while in junior high school and sang in a gospel quartet at age 12.
He began arranging and recording for artists including Ray Charles and Dinah Washington by the mid-1950s.
Jones turned his attention to film music and co-produced Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.
He also helped launch and executive produced the hit US series The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air starring Will Smith.
In 1989, he made waves with his landmark album Back On The Block, which was named Album of the Year at the 1990 Grammy Awards.
Earlier in the year, Jones was announced as an honorary Oscar winner at this year’s Governors Awards, which take place later this month.
The jazz musician earned a total of seven Oscar nominations for his film work, including the neo-noir crime film In Cold Blood (1967) and The Color Purple (1985).
During his lifetime, the music star won an Emmy, the Gene Hersholt Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Humanitarian Award, a Tony and 28 Grammys.
He is one of the few people to have earned non-competitive EGOT status, an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner where one of the awards is honorary or non-competitive.
Jones also collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Tony Bennett, as well as the “King of Pop” Jackson on his albums Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad.