Secret Quincy Jones Took to Grave: Music Icon Was Locked in Sad Battle With Jacksons After Declaring Family Cheated Him Out of $30Million
Jones was fighting the Jacksons in court before his death.
Nov. 4 2024, Updated 1:15 p.m. ET
Before his death, Quincy Jones was trading punches with another iconic name in the music industry: The Jacksons.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the music mogul had his hands full with the famous family as he attempted to get back $30million he said was taken from him.
Jones died in on November 3 at the age of 91.
In 2013, Jones accused the Jacksons of snubbing a deal he had with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, to increase his royalty share.
He insider stated at the time: "Quincy believes the Jacksons cheated him and he’s going to make them pay. He deserves better treatment from those ungrateful Jacksons!”
The source also made clear that Jones was the "genius behind" Michael's greatness, and explained: "He made Michael into a superstar. He produced Thriller, Off the Wall and Bad, which sold millions of albums and made them both incredibly rich.”
Jones claimed he was snubbed out of a deal he had with Michael Jackson.
Jones claimed that following the megastar's shocking death in 2009, the Jackson estate negotiated a larger share of the profits with Sony Entertainment and cut him out of the deal.
According to sources, the Jackson estate offered Jones a settlement of about $3million, however, the notable record producer felt he was owed $30million.
Jones insisted the master recordings he produced were edited and remixed as a way to avoid paying him his due.
Jones eventually received over $9million in a verdict, not the $30million he was seeking.
The insider shared: "Quincy isn’t going down without a fight. Everybody in the business knows if you cheat him, he’s going to get you for it!”
Four years later, Jones was able to reel in a victory over the estate, as a Los Angeles jury awarded him $9.42million in damages, not the $30million he was seeking, and found that he had been underpaid in royalties for music used in the This Is It documentary and two Cirque du Soleil shows.
Jones said at the time: "Although this judgement is not the full amount that I was seeking, I am very grateful that the jury decided in our favor in this matter. I view it not only as a victory for myself personally, but for artists’ rights overall.”
He added: "This lawsuit was never about Michael, it was about protecting the integrity of the work we all did in the recording studio and the legacy of what we created.”
The good feelings only lasted three years as in 2020 an appellate court ruled that the Jackson estate did not have to pay a majority of the verdict to Jones, finding that the trial judge at the time had allowed the jury to misinterpret Jones’ contract.
After Michael's passing, his family negotiated an increased share of profits through a joint venture with Sony, going from 50% to two-thirds. Jones' attorneys argued at trial that he was entitled under his producer contract to a an increase in royalties, and the jury agreed.
However, the appeals court ruled that Jones’ producer contracts did not entitle him to such an increase.
Following the appeal's verdict, Jones was only left with $2.6million, and not the over $9million he originally won.
Jones dissed Combs years before his death.
Jones, a 28-Grammy award-winning star, died on Sunday surrounded by his family. He was 91 years old.
His publicist, Arnold Robinson, said: "Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones' passing.
"And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him."
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He was known for his collaborations with Frank Sinatra, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and other legendary names.
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