Stars such as Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey and Stevie Wonder have paid tribute to Quincy Jones, who died this week at the age of 91.

After a career as a producer, multi-instrumentalist, conductor and film producer, Jones produced the 1990 sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which gave Smith his very first acting role. Jones brokered the casting in an impromptu audition by Smith – then known purely as a rapper – with NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff at a party at Jones’ home, with a contract drawn up that evening.

“Quincy Jones is the true definition of a mentor, a father and a friend,” Smith wrote on Instagram. “He pointed out the biggest parts of myself. He defended me. He fed me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked on me when necessary. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.”

The sitcom was a huge success, running 148 episodes over six seasons until 1996. It was a springboard for Smith as a leading man in Hollywood, ahead of hit films like Independence Day, Men in Black and Hitch.

Winfrey also acknowledged Jones’ hand in her career, after recommending her for her first acting role in The Color Purple, for which he co-produced and wrote the music. “My life changed forever for the better after I met him,” she wrote. “I had never known anyone whose heart was so filled with love, and I haven’t since. He walked around with his heart wide open and treated everyone as if they were the most important person he had ever met. He was the Light. No shadows. He was love lived out loud in human form and he was the first person I ever loved unconditionally.

In a lengthy tribute to Rolling Stone, Wonder said: “He touched every genre. It brings tears to my heart to think about how and where he came from and to know that he was able to grow through it all. When I look at life every day and think about how ignorant and irresponsible people can be who don’t understand it, I’m motivated to keep talking about life, singing about it, and writing about it, because that’s what Quincy does. did. He connected with people who had such great talents, and he was able to bring out the best in them… Quincy should be remembered as one of God’s greatest gifts to the world.”

Other stars adding their tributes to Jones include Paul McCartney, who worked with Jones on Thriller’s Michael Jackson duet The Girl Is Mine. McCartney said Jones “had a twinkle in his eye and a very positive, loving spirit that infected everyone who knew him… His long career goes back to the early days when he was a trumpeter, then a bandleader and then a producer of many fine records. But it is as a friend that I would like to remember him.”

The Weeknd simply described him as “The Reason,” with another message saying, “My fans know how important Quincy was to the structure of my music… Let’s celebrate his life today.” Elton John wrote: “No one had as incredible a career as Quincy Jones. He played with the best and produced the best. What a guy. I loved him.” Lenny Kravitz wrote: “What a life. What an expression of authenticity. What a teacher. I am humbled to have been given the gift of your openness and friendship.”

Previous tributes came from the likes of Joe Biden, who called him a “musical genius who transformed the soul of America – one bar, one rhythm and one rhyme at a time… Quincy Jones made black culture American culture.” Barack Obama also celebrated his life and work, recognizing how “Quincy paved the way for generations of Black executives to make their mark on the entertainment industry.”