It is with a very heavy heart that we shared the sad news that our dear friend, mentor, supporter and champion, music legend Quincy Jones, passed away. Our hearts ache for his family and his loved ones. Quincy lived an enormous life and gave back to this world with all his heart. How lucky were we as a family and as the Down syndrome community to be on the receiving end of that love?
Quincy is iconic for his unparalleled talent – 28 Grammys and 80 nominations, collaborations with the likes of Frank Sinatra and producing legends such as Michael Jackson. But to my family and to our Down syndrome community he was equally known for his love for Sophia and all our children with Down syndrome who he often spoke about with conviction: “These children aren’t broken, they just need a leg up, the chance to reach their God-given potential.”
Quincy wrote 33 major motion picture scores, garnering 7 Oscar nominations and winning an Emmy Award for the musical score in Roots. In 1985, he debuted his film career and co-produced Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, which received 11 Oscar nominations and introduced Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey to film audiences. He also helped launch and executive produced NBC’s TV hit series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. While receiving the most prestigious awards around the world, he wrote Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. The book immediately hit the Best-Seller lists of The New York Times, LA Times and The Wall Street Journal.
All the while, Quincy was always giving back. He pioneered the model of using celebrity influence to raise money and awareness for a cause with “We Are The World,” the best-selling single that he produced and conducted. That recording raised $63 million for Ethiopian famine relief. He worked tirelessly with Bono and Bob Geldof to raise billions to end third world debt.
Quincy also has deep compassion for children, especially disadvantaged children. In 2007, he wrote the award-winning musical score for the Closing Ceremony of the Special Olympics held in Shanghai, touching millions of children with developmental disabilities. His concern for the disadvantaged community is also epitomized in his Project Q, a Harvard School of Public Health collaboration, and his work with Global Down Syndrome Foundation and the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at Anschutz Medical Campus.
Quincy brought magic to GLOBAL and our Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. Each year we give our highest honor, the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, and he introduced us to our first recipient – GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon and her family, including big brother Jamie Foxx.
Join us at GLOBAL’s Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show:
