Will Smith Remembers Late 'Mentor' and Fresh Prince Producer Quincy Jones: 'He Inspired Me'

Will Smith pays tribute to the great Quincy Jones after his death.

Following news of Jones’ death at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 3, Smith — who won his role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the ’90s with Jones’ help — reflected on the lasting impact the legendary composer had on his life in a sweet Instagram post.

Describing Jones, who was 91, as “the very definition of a mentor, a father and a friend,” Smith, 56, wrote: “He pointed me to the greatest parts of me. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me.”

“He checked on me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine got strong enough to fly,” Smith said in the post, which included a black-and-white photo of him and Jones on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air set.

The life of Quincy Jones in photos

Smith has already explained the surreal first meeting he ever had with Jones in 1989, which eventually led to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aircreation.

In a 2018 YouTube video, Smith recalled being invited to a party at Jones’ house where he was handed the script for the failed pilot episode and sent to audition for what would become his lead role in the sitcom with only minutes to prepare. . The title of the series was derived from the name of Smith’s rapper, The Fresh Prince.

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

Despite Smith’s refusal (and several requests to audition later), he agreed when Jones recommended that he “take 10 minutes right now and you could change your life forever.”

“Then I was like f*ck. I said yes and let it go,” Smith recalled. “I got to the end and everybody’s clapping.”

Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, LL Cool J and more pay tribute to the ‘One of a kind’ Quincy Jones

Jones then demanded that the lawyer immediately draw up a contract in which Smith would star The Fresh Prince of Bel-Airand Smith recalled a group of lawyers who got into a limousine and “put together the first business for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.“We took a picture and signed the basic contract for The fresh prince,” he said. “And three months later, we were filming the pilot. And that’s the story of how I became the Prince of Bel-Air.”

Quincy Jones, Will Smith on the set of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’.

Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

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Following Jones’ death, his family said in a statement shared with PEOPLE, “While this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

“He is truly one of a kind and will be greatly missed; we are comforted and immensely proud to know that the love and joy that were at the core of his being were shared with the world through all that he created,” the statement continued.

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

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Source: HIS Education