Oprah Winfrey gave her followers a rare glimpse into her personal grief. In a deeply moving Instagram video, the media mogul reflected on the profound loss of her mentors—icons who shaped her life and career.
In a passionate video posted on her Instagram, the media mogul revealed how Quincy Jones’s passing marked the end of an era for her, as he was the last of her cherished mentors.
Quincy Jones, the celebrated US musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and many died on November 3, 2024, at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles at 91.
The 70-year-old icon began her message by expressing Quincy’s death’s profound impact on her. “It hit me pretty hard this week—the passing of my dear friend Quincy Jones,” she said. “Now, he was buried this past Sunday, and I felt a great sense of peace about all of it.”
However, the weight of the loss fully dawned on her in an unexpected moment. Oprah recounted walking past a wall in her home—a space she sees every day—only to be struck by the realization that Quincy, a legendary music producer and close confidant, was truly gone.
“I happened to come down the stairs and saw this wall that I pass every single day and think nothing of it. And I realized that Quincy is gone,” she said.
“And he is the last of the mentors for me,” Oprah continued, her voice tinged with both grief and reflection. “I lost Tina Turner last year, and two years before, Sidney Poitier. And Maya Angelou.”
The losses of these legends—Quincy Jones, Tina Turner, Sidney Poitier, Maya Angelou, and Nelson Mandela—have left Oprah without the mentorship that once grounded her. Yet, even in her grief, she remains steadfast in her commitment to honor their legacies.
“I believe the spirit of them abides with us who love them and whom they also loved here on earth,” Oprah shared, offering a hopeful perspective to her fans.
For Oprah, the loss also brought a renewed sense of purpose. “Now I feel it’s my duty, my responsibility, to carry on the strength and the courage and the wisdom and determination and bravery that they have left for me and for all of us,” she declared.
