The world is still mourning the legendary and incomparable producer Quincy Jones, but his children, naturally, feel the loss of the entertainment giant the most. Jones passed away on November 3rd, at 91, in Los Angeles, California.
Before his passing, Jones had already written his speech to accept an honorary Oscar this year at the Motion Picture Academy’s annual Governors Awards. Given that he died two weeks before Sunday’s ceremony ultimately delivering the speech was left to his daughter, Rashida Jones, which the actress did so successfully, with her three siblings, Quincy Jones III, Martina Jones, and Kenya Kinski-Jones, surrounding her for support. She began sharing her father’s speech after a presentation that included an introduction from Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson, leading a dozen gospel singers.
She began by reflecting on her own responsibility as a creative in the entertainment industry. “I was always keenly aware of the enormous power that we possessed as film-makers, that the art we created, the stories we told, if we were lucky, had a chance to move people in ways that they could never imagine, to make society and the world a more understanding and embracing place for us all to exist.”
She described her father: “He had this preternatural gift with people. He knew how to stay present, stay curious and stay loving.” It had been “a difficult decision for our family to be here tonight, but we felt like we wanted to celebrate his beautiful life and career.”
She continued, “He has so many friends in this room — well, actually, probably in every room, if I’m being honest,” Jones said, standing onstage with her siblings while reading her father’s speech. His speech highlighted his dreams of creating music for film and making “society and the world a more understanding and embracing place for us all to exist.”
Jones was visibly riddled with emotion on the stage, but with her siblings’ encouragement, she could press on to begin her father’s speech.
Quincy Jones wrote, “When I was a young film composer, you didn’t even see faces of color working in the studio commissaries. I’m so, so proud of the fact that my name and contributions can be included in that evolution.”
The speech ended with: “I share this award and tonight’s honor with all the amazing directors, legendary actors, and, of course, exceptional songwriters, composers, and musicians who I’ve formed dear friendships with over my seven decades in this business, and know that I wouldn’t trade this night or those experiences for anything in the world.”
To end the speech, emotional Rashida Jones encouraged the audience to listen to her father’s music on the way home. “There’s an entire universe waiting in his seven decades of music. And while you listen, hear him, hear how he imbued love into every single second of music he made. That was his real legacy, love,” she said. “In honor of our dad, we hope you will do the same. Live with love, lead with love. Bring love to everything that you do.”
Jones was one of the most impactful music creators and producers in modern American music for decades. His vision earned him seven Oscar nominations, primarily for his work on scores and songs. Notably, gaining recognition and critical acclaim as a producer of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of “The Color Purple.” He also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995, making this his second honorary Oscar.
