Moon song, attending his own funeral and 7 other facts about Quincy Jones
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Music producer Quincy Jones had referred to Michael Jackson as "Smelly", but that monicker had nothing do with odour.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – Few people in the music world can match the accomplishments of Quincy Jones, who died on Nov 3 at the age of 91.
Song on the moon
Jones’ work reached the moon. He said Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon
Prolific scorer
In addition to scoring more than 30 movies, Jones composed the theme songs for the television shows Sanford And Son, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air and Ironsides.
Life in Paris
Jones lived in Paris in the 1950s, studying music theory and composition with Nadia Boulanger, who also taught Aaron Copland, Philip Glass and Virgil Thomson.
Sinatra’s family crest
Sinatra not only gave Jones the nickname “Q”, he also left instructions that, after his death, Jones be given his ring bearing the Sinatra family crest from Sicily.
Attending his own wake
Jones attended his own memorial service in 1974. He suffered a brain aneurysm that year and wrote in his autobiography that doctors gave him only a 1 per cent chance of surviving surgery. Pessimistic friends went ahead and arranged a service for him but, within a month Jones had recovered so well that he attended the service, which featured music by Marvin Gaye, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles and Cannonball Adderley.
Living on Brando’s island
In 1986, Jones said he suffered a mental breakdown as he was in the midst of a divorce from actress Peggy Lipton. He went to Marlon Brando’s private island in Tahiti for a month to recover.
‘Smelly’ Michael
Jones referred to Michael Jackson as “Smelly” during their collaborations, but it had nothing to do with odour. When he was working with Jones, Jackson avoided saying curse words and would use “smelly” as an alternative.
Suing Jackson estate
In 2013, Jones filed suit against Jackson’s estate seeking millions of dollars in royalties for music that was used after the singer’s death in a documentary and a Cirque du Soleil show. In 2017, a jury awarded Jones US$9.42 million (S$12.4 million).
Tupac’s beef
Rapper Tupac Shakur once upbraided Jones in a magazine interview for his relationships with white women, including his three wives. Shakur later dated Jones’ daughter, Kadida, and was engaged to her at the time of his death in 1996. REUTERS
