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Legendary record producer Quincy Jones, who worked with Michael Jackson on his hit record Thriller, died on November 3 at the age of 91. Arnold Robinson, his publicist, said he died in his Bel Air home on November 3.
According to BBC, his family also released a statement announcing Jones' death, which read:
"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."
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Quincey Jones produced many of Michael Jackson's hit records, including Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. In a Facebook post celebrating the late singer's 59th birthday in 2017, Jones revealed that he had met Jackson when the latter was 12 years old in LA, which would have been in 1970 or 1971.
"I first met Michael when he was 12 at Sammy Davis' house in LA as we watched the Ed Sullivan show with the Jackson 5. We didn't meet again until years later when we worked on The Wiz, but I knew then that he had the potential to go way beyond what he'd previously done," Jones wrote.
While Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson collaborated on several popular projects, they fell out years after Jackson's album Bad was released in 1987.
Quincy Jones produced three Michael Jackson albums
While Quincy Jones met Michael Jackson when the latter was 12 years old, they started working together professionally when the King of Pop was 19. Their first project together was The Wiz. Jackson portrayed the Scarecrow, and Jones was the music producer and supervisor for the 1978 musical film based on The Wizard of Oz.
After seeing Jackson's dedication and talent, Quincy Jones offered to produce the singer's fifth studio album, Off the Wall, in 1979. He also produced Thriller, released in 1982, and Bad in 1987.
According to Page Six, Jones and Jackson's professional relationship became strained after the singer allegedly did not want Jones to share credit for Thriller when the record was nominated for a Grammy.
A source claimed that Jackson went to Grammy officials and requested they credit him for the producer awards, not Jones. Bob Jones wrote in his 2005 book, Michael Jackson, the Man Behind the Mask:
“The King lobbied hard against Quincy getting that Grammy. He didn’t want to share the spotlight at all with Quincy Jones or anyone else.”
Their relationship was further affected after Quincy Jones allegedly recommended that Jackson collaborate with Prince, his rival at the time. Prince recorded a demo for a song from Bad and sent it to Jackson and Jones. However, the collaboration fell through, with Prince saying in a later interview that he was unsatisfied with the song lyrics.
Another source told Page Six that Jackson was allegedly livid after hearing that Prince publicly disclosed that they had almost collaborated, which ended his professional relationship with Jones. Jones did not produce the singer's next album.
In a 2017 interview with The LA Times, Quincy Jones said he was in a good place with Jackson before the latter died in 2009.
“He wanted us to get back together. But we were close, man. Always close. You can’t do those kinds of records without love, trust and respect. You can’t do it,” he said.
Quincy Jones accused Michael Jackson of stealing songs
In 2013, Quincy Jones sued Michael Jackson's estate for unpaid royalties for the latter's 2009 concert film This Is It. In 2017, he won the lawsuit for $9.4 million. Jones said the suit was "never about Michael" and blamed his estate lawyers for it.
In a 2018 interview with Vulture, Jones accused Jackson of stealing songs, alleging the singer's Billie Jean resembled Donna Summer's State of Independence. He also alleged Jackon was greedy, saying:
"I hate to get into this publicly, but Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs. [Donna Summer’s] “State of Independence” and “Billie Jean.” The notes don’t lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come."
He added:
"Greedy, man. Greedy. “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” — Greg Phillinganes wrote the c section. Michael should’ve given him 10 percent of the song. Wouldn’t do it"
In the same interview, Quincy Jones claimed he used to advise Jackson against plastic surgery. Jones alleged the singer justified the surgery due to a disease, which the record producer called "bulls**t." He also alluded to the King of Pop lacking self-confidence in his appearance because "his father told him he was ugly and abused him."
The Jackson family responded to the interview in an interview with Page Six. A family member accused Jones, then 84, of having "first stages of dementia." Joe Jackson, the Jackson patriarch, claimed Jones would be responsible if Billie Jean sounded similar to the State of Independence as the producer of both tracks.
Quincy Jones' career spanned over seven decades, with the record producer winning 28 Grammys during his music career. The record producer has worked with artists like Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, and Barbra Streisand, among others.
