Stevie Wonder, Will Smith, more lead Quincy Jones tribute at Grammys

Will Smith, Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Lainey Wilson, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock paid touching tribute at the 67th Grammy Awards to late music producer Quincy Jones, who died last year leaving behind a rich musical legacy.

Erivo, accompanied by Hancock, kicked off the nearly 20-minute tribute after being introduced by Smith with a performance on "Fly Me to the Moon." They were followed by Wilson and then Wonder, who played the harmonica and led a choir in singing "We Are the World." Monáe wrapped up the tribute with a performance of Michael Jackson's Jones-produced 1979 hit "Don’t Stop 'til You Get Enough," wearing a suit like Jackson's and moonwalking across the across the stage.

"I love you so much, Quincy Jones," Monáe said at the end of her performance, revealing an "I Heart QJ" shirt.

Jones had a long career as a composer and trumpeter who broke down racial boundaries in music and film. He died on Nov. 3 at 91 of pancreatic cancer at his Los Angeles home.

Smith got emotional while remembering Jones, who was an executive producer on his '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

He recounted a story of Jones being disappointed with the craft services for the crew on "Fresh Prince," and instilling a lesson into Smith to make sure the people working to make him successful were taken care of. "Quincy Jones always took care of people, and that's how he fed the world," Smith said during his speech.

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The musician, who produced Jackson's iconic album "Thriller" and the charity song "We Are the World," took home 28 Grammys during his career, received multiple Oscar nominations for his film music and was awarded a National Medal of Arts. Jones also broke down racial boundaries in music and film and is one of the most revered music producers in music history.

His name appears as a producer, composer, conductor, arranger or performer on more than 400 albums. He composed roughly 35 film scores and is one of the most revered music producers in music history.

Jones is survived by seven children: Jolie Jones Levine (with former wife, actress Jeri Caldwell), Martina Jones and Quincy Jones III (with second wife, model Ulla Andersson), Kidada Jones and "The Office" actress Rashida Jones (with third wife, "Mod Squad" actress Peggy Lipton), Rachel Jones (with Carol Reynolds) and Kenya Julia Miambi Sarah Jones (with actress Nastassja Kinski).

From 'Thriller' to 'We Are the World': Quincy Jones' iconic music legacy

Jones was also bestowed with the honorary Oscar by the Film Academy at the Governors Awards in November. His family members accepted the award at the ceremony, which featured a stirring song tribute led by Jennifer Hudson.

Contributing: Kristin McGrath, Taijuan Moorman, Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stevie Wonder joins in Quincy Jones tribute with Will Smith at Grammys