Will Smith paid an emotional tribute to his ‘mentor’, music mogul Quincy Jones, after his tragic death at the age of 91.
The 56-year-old singer, who rapped about cloning in his last song, decided instagram to mourn his close friend who died surrounded by his family from an undisclosed cause on Sunday.
On Monday, the actor shared a monochrome photo of himself hugging the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air producer while on the set of the hit 1990 comedy.
He wrote in the caption: “Quincy Jones is the true definition of a mentor, father and friend.” He pointed out the best parts of myself.
‘He defended me. He took care of me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked on me when I needed it. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.
Will Smith paid an emotional tribute to his ‘mentor’, music mogul Quincy Jones, after his tragic death at age 91; seen in 1990
He wrote in the caption: “Quincy Jones is the true definition of a mentor, father and friend.” He pointed out the best parts of myself.
The duo had been close friends for more than 35 years when Jones arranged Will’s audition for Fresh Prince in 1989.
Jones also played the taxi driver featured in the show’s opening theme and also guest-starred in an episode of the NBC series.
Smith’s emotional post hit home with her 70 million followers, racking up nearly 350,000 likes and hundreds of comments from grieving fans.
One of the top comments read: “Not enough is said about the vision Quincy Jones had in casting you as The Fresh Prince.” With that move he launched one of the most important careers in Hollywood. RIP to the Legend.’
Another chimed in and wrote: “Quincy gave so much to culture…he was the great Master of the soundtrack of our lives…prayers to his family and friends.”
Rapper Ludacris commented emojis of a crown and a king.
The music titan, who collaborated with artists such as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, his publicist Arnold Robinson confirmed his death in the early hours of November 4.
Jones leaves behind her family and her actress daughter Rashida Jones, who played Karen Filippelli on The Office.
She said in a statement: “Tonight, with a full but broken heart, we must share the news of the passing of our father and brother Quincy Jones.”
“And while this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
‘He defended me. He took care of me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked on me when I needed it. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly,’ the actor wrote; seen in August 2024
The duo had been close friends for over 35 years when Jones arranged Will’s audition for Fresh Prince in 1989; seen in October 1990
Jones also played the taxi driver featured in the show’s opening theme and also guest-starred in an episode of the NBC series; Kadeem Hardison, Will Smith and Quincy Jones seen in 1990
Quincy Jones with his daughter, Hollywood actress Rashida Jones, who played Karen Filippelli on The Office; seen in January 2020
Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones at the ‘We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti’ recording session held at Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood in February 2010.
Quincy Jones at the 1994 Grammy Awards with Michael Jackson
Jones rose to the top of show business by becoming one of the first black executives to thrive in Hollywood and amassing an extraordinary musical catalog.
He toured with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, and composed soundtracks for Roots and In The Heat Of The Night.
Jones organized then-President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural celebration and oversaw the all-star recording of We Are The World in 1985 for famine relief in Africa.
Lionel Richie, co-writer of We Are the World and one of the featured singers on the benefit album, would call Jones “the master orchestrator.”