Legendary record producer and composer Quincy Jones was honored during the Oscars.
Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey opened the tribute with kind words about the late Jones, with whom they both worked in the past, before introducing Queen Latifah onstage, who performed “Ease on Down the Road” from “The Wiz.”
Queen Latifah performs onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre, on March 2, 2025, in Hollywood, Calif.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
“Quincy was love, lived out loud, in human form. And he poured that love into others and into his work,” Winfrey said.
Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey speak onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars March 2, 2025 in Hollywood.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Jones, who was nominated for seven Oscars during his legendary career, including three for 1985’s “The Color Purple,” died in November 2024 at age 91.
Jones received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 67th Academy Awards and posthumously received an honorary Oscar at the 2024 Governors Awards two weeks after his death, with his children accepting the trophy on his behalf.
Prior to the ceremony, Raj Kapoor — executive producer and showrunner for this year’s Oscars — previewed the Jones tribute as a “beautiful moment that we hope will uplift the room, that will celebrate the spirit of Quincy and all of his greatness.”