Quincy Jones lived a life that felt like ten lifetimes shoved into one. Most people know him as the guy who produced Thriller or the genius who gathered every superstar on the planet for "We Are the World." But when you look past the 28 Grammys and the gold records, people always end up asking the same thing: was Quincy Jones married? The short answer? Yes. Three times.
But saying he was just "married" is like saying the Pacific Ocean is "a bit of water." His romantic life was a sprawling, complicated, and often high-profile saga that spanned decades. He didn't just have wives; he had eras. From high school sweethearts to Swedish models and Hollywood royalty, the women in his life weren't just background characters. They were right there while he was rewriting the rules of American music.
The First Marriage: High School Sweethearts and Growing Pains
Long before he was "Q," he was just a kid in Seattle named Quincy. That’s where he met Jeri Caldwell.
Honestly, it sounds like a movie script. They were students at Garfield High School in the 1940s. Jeri was one of the popular girls—what Quincy later called the "hotsy-totsies." He noticed her every day at the water fountain. Despite the intense racial prejudice of the era, Jeri stuck by him. Her family wasn't exactly thrilled about her dating a Black man in the 40s and 50s, but she didn't care.
They got married in 1957.
By that point, they already had a daughter, Jolie. But as Quincy’s career exploded, the marriage started to fray. He was traveling to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, touring with big bands, and basically living in the studio. It’s hard to keep a marriage together when you’re reinventing jazz on three different continents. Plus, there was some drama. In 1963, while still married to Jeri, Quincy had a daughter named Rachel with a dancer named Carol Reynolds.
Unsurprisingly, Jeri and Quincy divorced in 1966. Even though it ended, he always spoke of her with massive respect. When she passed away in 2021, he called her his "rock" who knew him before anyone knew his name.
Ulla Andersson and the Swedish Era
So, was Quincy Jones married again immediately? Almost.
In 1967, just a year after his first divorce, he tied the knot with Ulla Andersson. She was a stunning Swedish model and actress signed to the Ford agency. They met at a party for Frank Sinatra (because of course they did).
This marriage brought a different kind of energy to his life. They had two children: Martina and Quincy Jones III (who everyone calls QD3). This was the late 60s and early 70s, a peak creative period for Q. But the lifestyle was fast. Too fast.
The couple split in 1974. Ulla ended up moving back to Sweden with the kids. It’s a pattern you see a lot with Jones—huge love, high intensity, and then a gradual drifting apart as the work took over.
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Peggy Lipton: The Marriage Everyone Remembers
If you mention Quincy Jones’ wives today, most people think of Peggy Lipton.
She was the star of The Mod Squad and later Twin Peaks. They were the ultimate "it" couple of the 70s. Their relationship was a massive deal, especially since interracial marriage was still a talking point in the media back then.
They got married in 1974, literally the day after his divorce from Ulla was finalized. Talk about a quick turnaround.
They had two daughters who are famous in their own right: Rashida Jones (from Parks and Recreation) and Kidada Jones. For a while, they were the picture of Hollywood cool. But again, the pressure of the industry—and Quincy’s self-admitted workaholism—bit into the relationship. They separated in the mid-80s and officially divorced in 1990.
Life After the Third Divorce
After Peggy, Quincy never married again. But don’t think for a second he was lonely.
He had a very famous, long-term relationship with German actress Nastassja Kinski in the early 90s, and they had a daughter together, Kenya. In his later years, he became famous for his "22 girlfriends" comment in a New York Magazine interview. He was 85 at the time and claimed to have girlfriends all over the world, from Cape Town to Rio.
He lived his life wide open.
The Full List of Quincy Jones' Children
To understand the scope of his family life, you have to look at the kids. He had seven children with five different women. It’s a big, blended, talented family.
- Jolie Jones: Daughter with Jeri Caldwell.
- Rachel Jones: Daughter with Carol Reynolds.
- Martina Jones: Daughter with Ulla Andersson.
- Quincy Jones III: Son with Ulla Andersson.
- Kidada Jones: Daughter with Peggy Lipton.
- Rashida Jones: Daughter with Peggy Lipton.
- Kenya Kinski-Jones: Daughter with Nastassja Kinski.
Why His Marriages Mattered
You can’t separate Quincy the man from Quincy the artist. His marriages were reflections of the worlds he was moving through.
When he was with Jeri, he was a hungry jazz musician breaking barriers. With Ulla, he was a global jet-setter. With Peggy, he was the king of pop production. Each relationship influenced his perspective. He wasn't perfect—he'd be the first to tell you that. He admitted that his devotion to music often came at the expense of being a "present" husband in the traditional sense.
He died on November 3, 2024, at the age of 91. At the time of his death, he was not married. He was surrounded by his kids, though, which tells you that despite the divorces, he managed to keep his family close.
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What You Can Learn From Quincy's Story
If you're looking into Quincy Jones' personal history, don't just look at the dates on a marriage certificate. Look at the way he maintained relationships after they ended. He stayed friends with Peggy Lipton until she died. He posted tributes to Jeri.
If you want to understand the man behind the music, you should:
- Watch the documentary 'Quincy' on Netflix: It was co-directed by his daughter Rashida and gives a raw look at his home life.
- Read his autobiography 'Q': He doesn't sugarcoat his failings as a husband or the difficulties of his upbringing.
- Look at his children’s work: From QD3’s music production to Rashida’s acting, you can see his creative DNA everywhere.
Quincy Jones didn't do anything halfway—including love. He leaves behind a legacy that is as much about his family as it is about his hits.