Will Smith Remembers Late 'Mentor' andFresh PrinceProducer Quincy Jones: 'He Inspired Me'

Mar. 15, 2025

Quincy Jones and Will Smith on the set of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ season 1.Photo:Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Will Smithis paying tribute to the greatQuincy Jonesin the wake of his death.

Describing Jones, who was 91, as “the true definition of a Mentor, a Father and a Friend,” Smith, 56, wrote, “He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me.”

“He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly,” Smith said in the post, which featured a black-and-white image of him and Jones onThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airset.

Smith haspreviously explained the surreal first meeting he ever had with Jones in 1989, which is what ultimately led toThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s creation.

In a 2018 YouTubevideo, Smith recalled being invited to a party at Jones' house where he was handed a script for a failed pilot episode and was made to audition for what would become his starring role in the sitcom with just minutes to prepare. The show’s title came out of Smith’s rapper name, The Fresh Prince.

Quincy Jones, Will Smith on set of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’.Mike Ansell/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Despite Smith’s pushback (and a few requests to properly audition at a later date), he acquiesced when Jones recommended he “take 10 minutes right now and you could change your life forever.”

“I was like f— it then. I said yes and I let it rip,” Smith recalled. “And I got to the end and everyone’s clapping.”

Jones then demanded a lawyer immediately draw up a contract for Smith to star inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Smith recalled a group of lawyers going into a limo and “drawing up the first deal forThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."“We took a picture and we signed the basic deal forTheFresh Prince,” he said. “And three months later, we were shooting the pilot. And that’s the story of how I became the Prince of Bel-Air.”

Quincy Jones, Will Smith on set of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’.Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

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In the wake of Jones' death, his family said in a statement shared with PEOPLE, “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.”

“He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created,” the statement continued.

“Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”

source: people.com