Quincy Jones was the “first person” Oprah Winfrey “loved unconditionally.”
The award-winning record producer passed away on Sunday, Nov. 3, in Los Angeles at the age of 91, and Winfrey has now taken to Instagram to express her sorrow, admitting that her “life changed forever for the better after meeting him.”
“My beloved Q,” she posted on the photo-sharing platform. “The world’s beloved Q. The one and only Quincy Jones ‘discovered’ me for The Color Purple movie in 1985. My life changed forever for the better after meeting him. I had never experienced, nor have since, anyone who’s heart was so filled with love.
Winfrey says they shared love ‘unconditionally’
“He walked around with his heart wide open, and he treated everybody as if they were the most important person he’d ever met. He was the Light. No shadows. He was love lived out loud in human form and he was the first person I ever loved unconditionally. That’s how we signed all our notes to each other, ‘Unconditionally…’ ”
Winfrey’s post featured a throwback photo of herself and Quincy at his home in suburban Bel Air in 2001, when she interviewed him “about his prolific career, the family that completed him, and the life he still had ahead.”
“He was the Mightiest of Souls,” Winfrey added. “His life enhanced mine and every life he touched. That will be his global legacy. Biggest, fullest, most love-filled life ever. One of One!”
Whoopi Goldberg adds her tribute
Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg has admitted that she “had no better friend” than Quincy.
The actress — who also worked with Quincy on The Color Purple, the 1985 movie that marked his debut as a film producer — said on “The View”: “I had no better friend. He never left, when other people were flocking away, Q stayed, and he always told me to stand my ground. I do and always will.”
