The Film Academy paid tribute to music legend Quincy Jones on Sunday night at the star-studded Governors Awards, where the music legend was posthumously awarded an honorary Oscar just two weeks after his death.
Jones, whose career spanned over seven decades, died from complications of pancreatic cancer on Nov. 3 at age 91.
Jamie Foxx presented the award to Jones’ family members Rashida Jones, Martina Jones, Quincy Jones III, and Kenya Kinski Jones, during the glitzy ceremony in Hollywood.
“I’m here to talk about a legend, I’m here to talk about a friend, an inspiration, and a recipient of this year’s Governors Award,” Foxx said in his remarks.
Related: Quincy Jones Remembered as Friend and Mentor by Will Smith, Lionel Richie, Whoopi Goldberg
The actor and comedian reflected on Jones’ pivotal role in helping him prepare for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic Ray, revealing Jones shared a cassette tape of a young Charles, offering Foxx insight that shaped his performance.
“I had met the old Ray Charles, but I needed to know who the young Ray Charles was before I did the movie,” Foxx said.
Jones’ honorary Oscar marks his second recognition by the academy. In 1995, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts.
Throughout his career, Jones earned several Oscar nominations, including for Banning (1967), In Cold Blood (1967), For Love of Ivy (1968), The Wiz (1978), and The Color Purple (1985). He also made history as the first Black producer to be nominated for Best Picture for The Color Purple.
Other recipients at this year’s Governors Awards included casting director Juliet Taylor, who received an honorary Oscar, screenwriter and director Richard Curtis, who was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
Watch Jamie Foxx’s full speech here:
