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It’s virtually impossible to truly pay homage to an artist with the breadth of a career that Quincy Jones had before he died in 2024 of pancreatic cancer. But the legend still deserves better than he’s gotten at the last two major award shows.
The latest instance was on Sunday when the Academy Awards commissioned Queen Latifah for a tribute. Latifah was introduced by Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg, who co-starred in The Color Purple, which Jones scored and co-produced. She performed “Ease On Down The Road,” a song from the 1974 film The Wiz that Jones produced for Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. Working on that film is when Jones met a 12-year-old Michael Jackson for the first time, so that song is a solid choice. And Latifah was a decent selection as well: she appeared on Jones’ 1995 album Q’s Jook Joint, she portrayed the title character in the 2015 television special The Wiz Live!, and she has an under-acknowledged singing voice that could be well-suited for a performance like this. On paper, this could have been the foundation for a fitting tribute for Quincy.
But Latifah was on stage for less than three minutes. Granted, the Academy Awards have honored Quincy Jones before — with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1994, and an Honorary Award at this year’s ceremony. Winfrey and Goldberg’s introduction did give more information about his illustrious career and his seven Oscar nominations, but a better look could have been a medley of several songs.
Then again, a medley isn’t a guarantee of success either. When the Grammys honored Quincy Jones several weeks ago, the result was sporadic: the love and respect from Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder, and Herbie Hancock shined in their performances, while Lainey Wilson, Jacob Collier, and (surprisingly) Janelle Monae’s segments missed their marks. Social media users expressed their disdain about both the Oscars and the Grammys performances, even while empathizing with how tall of a task it is.
Ultimately, paying tribute to Quincy Jones is virtually impossible. He’s truly peerless when it comes to longevity, versatility, and accomplishments — over the course of a 73-year career, he worked with Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Michael Jackson, and seemingly everyone in between, while composing scores for significant films such as Cold Blood, The Pawnbroker, and In The Heat of the Night. He’s essentially an entire institution of music himself, so one song or medley won’t do the trick, even if the song choices are great or the performances are spotless.
The closest tribute that has been created to his career is the 2018 Netflix documentary Quincy, which had the chance to take its time to tell his story. You can’t rush through a seven-decade story of weathering racism, evolving musically, and constantly creating classics one after another. As one X user said, Quincy Jones needs a full, two-hour special to pay him his proper respect. He’s in a league of his own, and the tribute has to be as well.
SEE ALSO:
Red Carpet Rundown: Black Hollywood Brings Drama & Fashion To The 2025 Oscars
Rest In Power: Notable Black People Who Died In 2025
Why Can’t Award Shows Properly Pay Homage To Quincy Jones?
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