Heartfelt Tribute: The Weeknd Mourns the Passing of His Idol Quincy Jones with a Touching Foreword and Memories

Yesterday, November 4, news broke of the legendary producer Quincy Jones’ passing at the age of 91. The world has since seen an outpouring of tributes celebrating the life of this musical icon. Among the heartfelt tributes, The Weeknd—real name Abel Tesfaye—shared the foreword he wrote for Jones’ 2022 autobiography, 12 Notes on Life and Creativity, giving fans a glimpse of his deep admiration for the late legend.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), The Weeknd reflected briefly on Jones’ impact on his career, saying, “My fans know how important Quincy was to the fabric of my music. I was given the opportunity to write a foreword to his book and tried to capture what he meant to me as a human. Let’s celebrate his life today.”

In the foreword, Tesfaye honored Jones as both his “idol” and “the reason why I even do music in the first place.” Reflecting on Jones, whom he affectionately referred to as “Q,” he wrote: “Q was my idol in every sense of the word, and I tried to soak up any clues to greatness he may have left behind. I felt as though I knew him because I practically did know everything about him and his work, but we hadn’t yet met in person.”

That long-awaited meeting finally happened in 2015 when Victor Drai surprised The Weeknd by inviting Jones to his show at Drai’s Nightclub in Las Vegas. “I nearly lost my mind after I heard that my idol was sitting on the side of the stage, about to watch me perform,” Tesfaye recalled. “As soon as I finished my last song, I couldn’t make it over to him fast enough. I was so laser-focused on meeting him (the reason why I even do music in the first place) that I barely even noticed there were fans on the other side of the stage, screaming my name, trying to grab my attention.”

Through his words, The Weeknd’s tribute to Quincy Jones is both a celebration of his legacy and a personal farewell from a devoted fan who found inspiration in every note Jones ever produced.