Paul McCartney Pens Heartfelt Tribute to Legendary Producer and Friend Quincy Jones

Iconic record producer Quincy Jones passed away on November 3, and tributes and condolences have been pouring in from his contemporaries and friends. Paul McCartney recently paid his respects to Jones, highlighting the times they worked together as well as their long friendship.

“Dear Quincy Jones has passed and left those of us who knew him feeling sad,” McCartney wrote in an Instagram post. “He was supremely talented, and I felt privileged to have known him for many years.” 

McCartney continued, “He was friends with George Martin, the Beatles’ producer and, between the two of them, produced some very fine music. Quincy or ‘Quince’ or ‘Q’, as he was known, always had a twinkle in his eye and had a very positive, loving spirit which infected everyone who knew him.”

He called attention to Jones’ legendary work with Michael Jackson. He notably produced Thriller, Bad, and Off The Wall, and many of the iconic touches on those albums were because of Jones. For example, he brought in Eddie Van Halen for the “Beat It” guitar solo, and also recruited Vincent Price for the voice-over on “Thriller,” according to a report from AP News. McCartney, meanwhile, was featured on the song “The Girl Is Mine” from Thriller.

[RELATED: Quincy Jones, Legendary Music Producer and Maestro of Entertainment, Dies at 91]

Paul McCartney Pays His Respects to Friend Quincy Jones

Paul McCartney continued his post by sharing some of his recollections of Quincy Jones. “My main recollections of him were always the private moments that we shared, and I will never stop thanking Nancy for always arranging to visit him when we were in Los Angeles. These visits were fun and inspiring,” he wrote.

“His long career stretches back to the early days when he was a trumpet player, then a band leader, then a producer of many great records,” McCartney continued. “But it is as a friend I would like to remember him. We always had fun in his presence and his legend will continue through the years, but it is those private moments we were lucky enough to have with the great man that I will always remember fondly.”

McCartney included a carousel of photos of himself and Jones through the years. They ranged from early days, with McCartney strumming a guitar while Jones lounged next to him, to more recent photos of the two of them together.

Featured Image by Kevin Mazur/WireImage