Rashida Jones Reads From the Speech Quincy Jones Wrote for His Honorary Oscar

Rashida Jones read from the speech her late father, Quincy Jones, was set to deliver upon receiving his honorary Oscar at the Motion Picture Academy’s annual Governors Awards. 

The ceremony took place last night, Nov. 17, two weeks after Quincy’s death at the age of 91. Rashida, joined on stage by several of her siblings, accepted the prize on her father’s behalf, saying the acclaimed musician, producer, and composer “was really excited to attend tonight” and, “I want you to know that he is here, very much here.”

Rashida went on to say that Quincy had “been working on his speech” before his death, then shared several excerpts from it. The speech (per People) found Quincy reminiscing about growing up in Seattle where, as a teenager, he’d “sit for hours in the theater and dream about composing for films.”

He also wrote about his work with filmmakers like Sydney Pollack, Richard Brooks, and Steven Spielberg, as well as his groundbreaking presence as a Black composer in Hollywood. 

“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,” Quincy wrote.

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.” 

Rashida shared a few remarks of her own, too, saying that while it “was a difficult decision for our family to be here tonight,” they were eager to celebrate their father’s “beautiful life and career.” Encouraging attendees to listen to Quincy’s music on their way home, Rashida added: “Hear how he infused love into every single second of music he made. That was his real legacy: love. He loved life, and he often said, ‘Live every day like it’s your last, and one day you’ll be right.’ And you did, Dad. You did. You lived the biggest, best, most beautiful life of love every single day you were here.” 

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Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson were also on hand to honor Quincy Jones. Foxx spoke about how Quincy helped him develop his Oscar-winning portrayal of Ray Charles for the biopic Ray, saying Jones gave him an old cassette tape that contained a recording of a young Charles on a radio program hosted by Dinah Shore. (The story came complete with Foxx’s delightful impersonation of Jones.) Later, Hudson led a tribute performance to Jones, taking the stage with a gospel choir to sing “Maybe God Is Tryin’ to Tell You Something” from the 1985 version of The Color Purple.

Jones was nominated for seven Academy Awards while he was alive, scoring his first two in 1967 (Best Original Score for In Cold Blood and Best Song for “The Eyes of Love” from Banning). While he never won an Oscar, Jones received the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995. (The non-competitive prize helped Jones complete his EGOT when he took home a Tony for the Broadway revival of The Color Purple in 2016.)