Catch the 2025 Oscar Tribute Featuring Quincy Jones, Latifa, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey

Tribute to Quincy Jones at the Oscars

The Oscar ceremony of 2025 honored the late Quincy Jones, with Wupu Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey representing him during a moving performance by Queen Latifa.

• Read more: Oscar winners 2025 – Lists

The legendary producer and composer passed away on November 3 at the age of 91 due to pancreatic cancer.

Quincy’s Legendary Career

Throughout his illustrious career, Jones collaborated with numerous artists, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Michael Jackson. Together, they produced iconic albums such as *The Wall*, *Thriller*, and *Bad*, with “Thriller” still holding the title of the best-selling album of all time.

His relationship with Jackson began with *The Wiz* in 1978. At the Oscar ceremony in 2025, Latifa honored Jones by performing the film’s iconic song, “Ease on Down the Road.”

Prior to that performance, Goldberg and Winfrey, who starred in the 1985 film *The Color Purple*, directed by Jones, discussed his profound impact on music and popular culture. “When we talk about Black Excellence, we talk about Quincy,” Goldberg stated.

“Quincy was love, embodied in human form. He poured this love into others and his work. My life changed for the better after meeting him. He truly opened the door for me with *The Color Purple*, which was my first film,” Winfrey remarked, to which Goldberg added, “Me too.”

Queen Latifa gives the excellent tribute to Quincy Jones with her performance “Ease on Down the Road” from #TheWiz at #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/hswjlligxm

– Fandango (@fandango) March 3, 2025

“Jones’s soundtrack work was particularly remarkable, especially considering that Black musicians were rarely given opportunities in cinema and television, and even less so in projects not centered on African American themes,” noted NME‘s Jordan Bassett in his obituary for Jones.

In 2020, he mentioned how the renewed energy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, which arose after George Floyd’s murder, was long overdue, saying, “It came for a long time, dude,” and added, “People turned their heads the other way, but still, to me – it’s about humanity and racism. You need to be taught how to hate anyone.”

Emilia Perez leads this year’s Oscar nominations, followed by Brutalist, Wicked, Conclave, Full Unknown, and Anora.

Stay updated with all the ceremony details right here, as the list of winners is refreshed throughout the evening.

This year’s Oscars featured performances of the best original songs, while the show acknowledged the recent wildfires, inviting many firefighters to the stage with a heartfelt nod from host Conan O’Brien.