Quincy Jones shared much of his life, yet there are still surprising facts you might not know about him.
Quincy Jones captured the hearts of generations through a prolific career that traversed radio, cinema, and television. The esteemed composer, musician, and producer passed away Sunday night in his Bel Air, California home. He was 91.
Jones frequently recounted his extraordinary journey in numerous interviews and the 2018 Netflix documentary, “Quincy,” which his daughter, Rashida Jones, co-wrote and co-directed. However, here are a few lesser-known details about him:
Jones is renowned for collaborating with an impressive array of legendary artists, including Frank Sinatra. Their paths first crossed in 1958 when Jones was enlisted to lead Sinatra’s band. This partnership became so impactful that it altered the trajectory of one of Sinatra’s most iconic songs.
Sinatra’s rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” was released in 1964. Originally a waltz, Jones transformed it into a swinging masterpiece. The song not only became a cherished classic but also marked history when astronaut Buzz Aldrin played it before his historic lunar step.
“The first music played on the moon,” Jones told the New York Times in 1990. “I was astonished.”
A 2018 GQ magazine interview saw Jones reflecting on the harrowing Charles Manson family murders at actress Sharon Tate’s Los Angeles home in 1969. Jones had established a friendship with hairstylist Jay Sebring through actor Steve McQueen. McQueen invited Jones to preview a rough cut of “Bullitt,” bringing Sebring along.
At the time, Jones was experiencing hair loss, and Sebring offered assistance. “He said, ‘I’ll meet you at Sharon’s, I’ve got some stuff for your hair,’” Jones remembered. However, Jones forgot to visit Tate’s residence that day.
The following day, his friend Bill Cosby called him. “He said, ‘Man, did you hear about Jay?’ We were all close,” Jones recounted. “He said, ‘Did you see he’s dead?’ I responded, ‘Impossible, man, I was with him last night.’”
Sebring, a past boyfriend and close friend of Tate’s, was savagely murdered by Manson’s followers that night at her home, alongside Tate, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent.
In 1974, at the age of just 41, Jones experienced a severe headache and collapsed. Doctors discovered he had suffered a brain aneurysm. “It was terrifying,” he later revealed.
A subsequent surgery uncovered a second aneurysm, and once he regained strength, he underwent another operation, which he learned had “a one-in-a-hundred survival chance.”
He was informed that due to a clip on a brain blood vessel, playing his cherished trumpet could dislodge it, proving fatal. Despite this, Jones attempted to play again while touring Japan but was forced to stop permanently when a single attempt caused a headache, indicating the clip had shifted.
“I couldn’t get away with it, man,” he confessed.
