In a recent sit-down with Vultureearlier this month, legendary record producer Quincy Jones ran through a mental rolodex of industry memories and alleged untold secrets.
Among stories of Richard Pryor and Marlon Brando's alleged sexual history, to John F. Kennedy's assassination, to Ivanka Trump’s boyfriends, the 84-year-old Jones also made claims about the late king of pop being a song thief.
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“I hate to get into this publicly, but Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs,” Jones told Vulture. “[Donna Summer’s] ‘State of Independence’ and ‘Billie Jean.’ The notes don’t lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come. Greedy, man. Greedy.”
Joe Jackson refuted Jones' claims in an interview with Page Six, saying,"Jones was “quite jealous of Michael because he’s never worked with someone with all of that talent.”
He also suggested that if there is a similarity between Jackson's song and Donna Summer's song, Jones is to blame.
Another relative told Page Six that Jones, “quietly carried a vendetta” against Jackson, and believes their fallout dates back to over 30 years ago, when the collaborators disagreed on whether Jones deserved a shot at a Grammy for producing the 1982 hit album Thriller.
