Died at 93
male
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award nominations, 28 Grammys, and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992. Jones came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before working on pop music and film scores. He moved easily between musical genres, producing Lesley Gore's major pop hits of the early 1960s (including "It's My Party") and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations between the jazz artists Frank Sinatra and Count Basie in the same time period. In 1968, Jones became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Eyes of Love" from the film Banning. Jones was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the 1967 film In Cold Blood, making him the first African American to be nominated twice in the same year. Jones produced three of popstar Michael Jackson's most successful albums: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), and Bad (1987). In 1985, Jones produced and conducted the charity song "We Are the World", which raised funds for victims of famine in Ethiopia. In 1971, Jones became the first African American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards. In 1995, he was the first African American to receive the academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the second most Oscar-nominated African American, with seven nominations each. In 2013, Jones was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the winner, alongside Lou Adler, of the Ahmet Ertegun Award. He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time.
Quincy Jones
Soundtrack Composer
for Soundtrack Composer in Oz Cinematic Universe
Suggested by dannyflanigan
This is a sweeping, family-friendly fantasy adventure that reimagines L. Frank Baum’s Oz series as an ambitious yearly film saga blending heart, comedy, music, and spectacle. The story begins when Kansas farm girl Dorothy is swept by a cyclone into the magical land of Oz, where even her dog Toto talks and every road seems to lead toward destiny. Along the Yellow Brick Road she teams up with a quick-witted Scarecrow, a shy Tin Woodman, and a theatrical Cowardly Lion, each searching for the qualities they believe they lack. Together they confront the imposing Wizard, outsmart a terrifying Wicked Witch, and discover that courage, love, and intelligence were inside them all along. As the series continues year by year, Oz expands into a larger world of pumpkin-headed companions, clockwork soldiers, living china people, and rebellious princesses reclaiming their throne. Dorothy becomes both visitor and hero, returning repeatedly to help Princess Ozma protect the Emerald City from witches, tricksters, and the subterranean Nome King. Each chapter mixes comedy and wonder with surprisingly emotional stakes, turning Oz into a place that feels lived-in, strange, and deeply human. The tone balances Broadway-style musicality, fast-talking humor, and old-school practical fantasy in the spirit of classic 2000s adventure films. A star-studded ensemble—including Lilla Crawford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael Cera, Jess Harnell, Kristin Chenoweth, Fiona Shaw, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Douglas—brings theatrical personality and warmth to every role. Later installments introduce memorable newcomers like Helena Bonham Carter, Keith David, Donald Glover, and Auliʻi Cravalho, making each film feel fresh while keeping the found-family core intact. What starts as one girl’s journey home evolves into an epic, interconnected saga about friendship, identity, and the power of ordinary people in an extraordinary world. The result is a charming, crowd-pleasing Oz cinematic universe that feels nostalgic, magical, and packed with big personalities audiences would return to year after year.
