Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney and more pay tribute to Quincy Jones | Quincy Jones

Stars including Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey and Stevie Wonder have paid tribute to Quincy Jones, who died this week aged 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 first ever acting role. Jones arranged the casting through an impromptu audition by Smith – then a pure rapper – with NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff at a party at Jones' home, with a contract being worked out that same evening.

“Quincy Jones is the true definition of a mentor, a father and a friend,” Smith wrote on Instagram. “He made me aware of the biggest parts of myself. He defended me. He encouraged me. He gave me courage. 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 and ran for six seasons with 148 episodes until 1996. It was Smith's starting point as a leading actor in Hollywood, before successful films such as “Independence Day”, “Men in Black” and “Hitch”.

Winfrey also acknowledged Jones' contribution to 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 forever changed for the better after I met him,” she wrote. “I had and have never experienced anyone whose heart was so full of love. He walked around with an open heart and treated everyone as if they were the most important person he had ever met. He was the light. No shadows. He was love expressed 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 single genre. It brings tears to my heart to think about how and where he came from and to know that he has grown through it all. When I look at life every day and think about how ignorant and irresponsible people who don't understand it can be, I'm motivated to keep talking about life, singing about it, and writing about it, because that's what Quincy did. He associated himself with people who had these great talents and managed to bring out the best in them…Quincy should be remembered as one of God's greatest gifts to the world.”

Other stars paying tribute to Jones include Paul McCartney, who collaborated with Jones on the Michael Jackson duet “The Girl Is Mine” from “Thriller.” McCartney said Jones had “a twinkle in his eye and a very positive, loving spirit that infected everyone who knew him… His long career dates back to the beginning, when he was a trumpeter, then a bandleader, then a producer of was a lot of great records. But I want to remember him as a friend.”

The Weeknd described him simply as “The Reason”, while another post said: “My fans know how important Quincy was to the fabric of my music… Let's celebrate his life today.” Elton John wrote: “No one has had such an incredible one Career like Quincy Jones. He played with the best and brought out the best. What a guy. I loved him.” Lenny Kravitz wrote: “What a life. What an expression of authenticity. What a teacher. I feel honored to have been given the gift of your openness and friendship.”

Previous tributes have come from the likes of Joe Biden, who called him a “musical genius who changed the soul of America – one beat, one rhythm and one rhyme at a time… Quincy Jones solidified black culture as American culture.” Barack Obama also paid tribute to his life and work and also recognized how “Quincy paved the way for generations of black leaders to leave their mark on the entertainment business.”