Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
Artist, producer, composer and all-around musical genius Quincy Jones sadly passed away earlier this month at 91 years old. News of his death sent shockwaves around the entertainment world, with celebs from several generations speaking out to give Jones his flowers publicly, as music fans reflect on the decades of records from his extensive catalog that helped shape the soundtrack of our time.
The 28-time Grammy winner was laid to rest earlier this week in Los Angeles. The ceremony was a private engagement, as a larger, more public memorial is in the works. A statement to the Associated Press revealed that Jones’ seven children, his brother, two sisters, and immediate family members attended the intimate ceremony. The cemetery where the ceremony took place was not revealed.
MORE: Quincy Jones Gave Us The World. He Deserves All Of Our Praise. All Of Our Gratitude.
On Wednesday, TMZ shared details of his death certificate, released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. His official cause of death is pancreatic cancer – the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the country.
According to the document, there were no other contributing factors to his death.
Jones first became a household name in the 1960s, writing film scores and arranging jazz, working with stars like Frank Sinatra and Count Basie.
He even became the first Black man nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In fact, the first movie he ever produced was 1985’s The Color Purple, and the film’s score even got him an Oscar nomination.
In the late 1970s, his work with pop superstar Michael Jackson helped him reach even greater success. He’s the mastermind behind his edgiest albums, Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad, as the two’s working relationship started after meeting on the set of The Wiz.
During that legendary run, he also produced “We Are The World,” a star-studded track that included vocals from 46 singers, including Lionel Richie, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles, to raise money and awareness for famine in Ethiopia.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
Pancreatic cancer is a major killer of Black people
Pancreatic cancer was also the cause of other legendary Black people, including iconic singer Aretha Franklin as well as Joe Jackson, father of singer Michael, both in 2018, and longtime Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee earlier this year.
Pancreatic cancer has long targeted Black people, but even more vexing is the fact that so little is known about it, including what causes it. Despite a number of medical breakthroughs, scientists still haven’t found a cure for the terminal illness.
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found through clinical research that the “incidence of pancreatic cancer is 50 – 90% higher in African Americans than in any other racial group in the United States. Not only is pancreatic cancer more common among African Americans, but African Americans also have the poorest prognosis of any racial group because they often are diagnosed with advanced, and therefore, inoperable cancer.”
SEE ALSO:
Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Announces Cancer Diagnosis
My Brother’s Keeper: Black Communities Need To Speak More Openly About Their Health
57 photos Quincy Jones’ Cause Of Death Is A Major Killer Of Black People was originally published on theboxhouston.com
