Table of Contents
According to Quincy Jones’ Family, His Proudest Accomplishment Was Fathering Seven Children
Quincy Jones had a long list of hats to wear — music producer, composer, songwriter, musician, and TV producer — but the accomplishment that made him the happiest was fathering seven children.
The legendary artist and record producer, who passed away on the 3rd of November, 2024, at the age of 91, adored his children: Jolie (71), Rachel (61), Martina (59), Quincy III (57), Kidada (51), Rashida (49), and Kenya (32).
“He is such a wonderful and unique individual, and we are going to miss him so much,” the family expressed in a press release after his death. “It gives us a lot of comfort and great pride to know that the love and joy, which were his very nature, found their way to the world through all that he made.”
Quincy Jones on Fatherhood and His Amazing Children
The seven-times Grammy-winning artist had children who he loved deeply and was close to, but he was also very honest about how tricky it was for him to be a good father at first.
“Never ignore the significant influence you have on your kids,” he declared in a tweet. “I came to this truth a little late, but I thank God I finally figured it out because being a father is undoubtedly one of the best gifts!”
A number of Quincy’s children took the entertainment route and became his creative peers.
“I can’t imagine their [children] to be anything other than tremendously intelligent, lovely, artistic and persistent,” he stated in 2018 when posting a photo of his daughters. “They keep advancing in their fields even though there are voices outside discouraging them or the powers that want to control them.”
Quincy Jones’ kids include: Jolie, Rachel, Martina, Quincy III, Kidada, Rashida and Kenya.
Jolie Jones Levine, 71
As the first child of Quincy Jones, Jolie Jones Levine was born on October 4, 1953. She was the fruit of his high school sweetheart and first wife, Jeri Caldwell; the couple split up in 1966.
Jolie kept a low profile for most of her childhood, but she started modeling early and appeared in fashion magazines like Mademoiselle and Seventeen. She also acted in movies such as Panic in Echo Park and tried music, singing her song “Take a Second Look” for the 1987 film Hunk.
Jolie is now an artist, writer, and activist. She is not very visible to the public, partly because she has Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), a disorder she talks about on her site. Jolie has revealed that EHS causes her to be very uncomfortable with the “radiofrequency waves generated by cellphones and wireless devices,” thus she arranges her life in such a way as to minimize exposure to it.
Jolie Jones Levine: Quincy Jones’ Daughter
Due to her extreme allergy to Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), Jolie Jones Levine has even called herself “a refugee from the modern world.”
“I literally had to make myself a refugee from the modern world,” is how she explained it. “I lost my connections to friends and relatives, basically.” These days, she is using her site to explain people what EHS is and offer a corner to those affected by the condition where they can read and share their stories.
Jolie and music producer Stewart Levine are married and raising two kids, Donovan and Sunny Levine, together. She is a dedicated grandmother, and making art for her family is something she often does.
She and Quincy Jones were very close. Jolie, on the occasion of her dad’s birthday, posted a picture with him on Instagram on March 14, 2022, and wrote, “Happy birthday Daddykins! I’ll always be your little girl. I love you.”
Rachel Jones, 61
After a short-time romantic relationship, Quincy Jones and dancer Carol Reynolds had their daughter Rachel on 23 July 1963.
Unlike the majority of her brothers and sisters, Rachel never really considered doing entertainment as her job. She graduated from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999 and presently operates a holistic mobile veterinary practice that caters to clients in both Los Angeles and New York.
Rachel and Quinn had a very affectionate relationship. In June 2020, she wrote on Instagram in his honor, “Thank you for choosing me to be your daughter. Your genius flows in me and for that, I am thankful. For you, I am grateful. I LOVE YOU!”
In return, Quincy frequently acknowledged her. For his birthday in July 2021, he penned a note, “Thank U for your love & light … We all know this world needs more of it! Proud of U honey … Love U eternally & then some.”
Rachel has two grown children as well. She shared a picture of her son and daughter on Mother’s Day 2022, attaching the words, “This day would be pointless without these special souls in my life.”
Martina Jones, 59
After Jeri Caldwell, Quincy Jones married Swedish model Ulla Andersson in 1967. Their daughter Martina was born on Nov. 1, 1966. When they split up in 1974, Martina went to Sweden with her mom and became a model after her mom Ulla.
Martina is a photographer now, and she loves to post on Instagram snaps of her travels, art, and life but usually, she is pretty low-key about her private side.
Her relationship with Quincy is very tight, and she often writes deeply felt letters to him. On his birthday in March 2022, she penned a message that read, “Happy Birthday D!!! This day is one of my favorite days of the year… I love you all the time but today I send you a little bit more because I am so glad you were born and that I get to call you Daddy.”
In an Instagram post, dated just a couple of days before his death in November 2024, Quincy celebrated Martina’s 58th birthday:
“Happy Birthday to my Tina Beena. So proud to be yo papa! Big hug, I love you eternally.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(741x376:743x378)/quincy-jones-martina-jones-will.i.am-hosts-8th-annual-i-am-angel-foundation-trans4m-gala-110424-1-f40926fd700f46e889ccf631d7ffb391.jpg)
Quincy Delight Jones III, 57
Quincy Delight Jones III – the son of Quincy – was born on Dec. 23, 1968, to Quincy Jones and Swedish model Ulla Andersson.
Just like his father, Quincy III was deeply involved in music from the very beginning, he started producing at 13 and got a gold-selling album by 16. He has worked with, produced, recorded, and mixed for artists such as Prince, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and Lionel Richie.
The credit for the creation of the acclaimed documentary series Beef and The Carter (a film about Lil Wayne that stirred up much discussion) goes to him and his company QD3 Entertainment.
Besides music and film, Quincy III is a scholar who spends his time trying to make rap less violent. Together with his partners, in 2012, he started Feel Rich, Inc., a marketing firm assisting health and wellness brand grow.
Moreover, he is a loving father of two kids – son Quincy Renzo Delight Jones IV (who is into music now) and daughter Nea Jones – with his ex-wife Koa Jones. Quincy III is a resident of both Sweden and Los Angeles.
Kidada Ann Jones, 51
After Kidada was born on March 22, 1974, to the couple Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton, she lead a privileged life growth in Bel Air and then attending the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. As a fashion icon, she was a muse of Tommy Hilfiger and as the fashion stylist for the Vibe magazine issue featuring Michael Jackson in 1995, she went down in history. Currently, she is making a name for herself by creating her own brand exclusively for The Walt Disney Company.
Her private life was known for dating the famous LL Cool J and Leonardo DiCaprio; she also had a romantic relationship with Tupac Shakur at the time when he was brutally killed in 1996. She also had her wedding vows with Jeffrey Nash in the period from 2003 to 2006.
After the demise of her mother Peggy Lipton in 2019, Quincy couldn’t help himself but express in a heartfelt way the love and respect for his ex-wife and their ‘two amazing daughters’ with Kidada being nicknamed ‘Pie’ by Quincy.
Rashida Jones, 49
Rashida was born to Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton on the 25th of February, 1976. Along with her sister Kidada, she was raised in Bel Air, California, and went to Sherman Oaks for high school. After that, she attended Harvard University where she majored in religion and philosophy. Besides, she was a member of Hasty Pudding Theatricals and also the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club.
Rashida Jones is undoubtedly the most famous one among Quincy’s offspring with an extensive television and film career. She has been featured in sitcoms like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Angie Tribeca, as well as movies such as I Love You, Man and The Social Network. Besides, Toy Story 4 is also hers as she co-wrote and produced it.
Rashida was engaged to music producer Mark Ronson for a short time in 2003. Currently, she is having a steady relationship with Ezra Koenig, the lead singer of Vampire Weekend. Their son, Isaiah Jones Koenig was born in 2018.
In Quincy, Rashida Jones Pays Tribute to Quincy
Among anything else, Rashida Jones was so close to her Daddy that she figured it was an excellent way to honor him with such great love as she deeply felt by co-directing the 2018 documentary about his life and legacy, Quincy.”
“That piece really, really tore me apart,” she confided to Forbes. “It’s extremely personal and intense to be with your parents and at the same time trying to be objective. It somehow made me feel like I was meant to accomplish this for the family.”
He was delighted by her. Quincy posted a 2020 tribute to Rashida on Instagram where he claimed,” “I remember very well and will forever hold onto the memory of the first time your beautiful smile lit up the faces of my eyes. Even when the trace of your lovely face belongs only to your mom, always you, my two beauties keep on flashing it.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(781x295:783x297)/rashida-jones-the-office-071124-3-90f5f33de8e444d18db547089ee9fa75.jpg)
Kenya Kinski-Jones, 32
Following his breakup with Peggy Lipton, Quincy Jones started dating German actress and model Nastassja Kinski. Before splitting up a few years later, the couple had their only child, daughter Kenya Kinski-Jones, who was born on February 9, 1993.
Kenya was a student at Loyola Marymount University and came out with a journalism degree in 2015. She also tried modeling while still in school, but she was very cautious about the kind of jobs she accepted so as not to interfere with her studies.
“My first shoot was for Vogue Spain and I was totally inspired by the entire process,” she told PEOPLE in 2018. “Then I started going to college and took the jobs that didn’t mess with my classes. When I graduated I was free to accept the job full time. I came to New York, got my first apartment, and have had the opportunity to visit some amazing places and collaborate with some really special, talented individuals, for which I am extremely thankful.”
Kenya Kinski-Jones’ Career and Relationship with Quincy Jones
Kenya Kinski-Jones has established a successful modeling career for herself. One of her significant achievements was being the face of Nasty Gal’s After Party campaign in 2018. Besides modeling, Kenya is also passionate about animal rights. Through her kind nature, she supports Last Chance for Animals, and she has been a vegetarian since the age of 8.
Since 2011, Kenya has been in a relationship with actor Will Peltz. They are regularly seen together at red carpet events, and she regularly shares pictures of him on Instagram.
Quincy was crazy about his youngest daughter and was known for sending his fans loving birthday tributes. In 2020 he shared a picture of baby Kenya on his chest and wrote:
“Happy Birthday to my not-so-little-baby who will ALWAYS still be my baby!! My popsicle, @kenyakinskij … you are a light in all of our lives & I thank you for your heart, soul, & mind. Keep on shinin’ & U know I’m always here for U & your sibs <3 Love U honey!!”
