Quincy Jones had ‘22 girlfriends’, but who were his 3 wives – Jeri Caldwell, Ulla Andersson and Peggy Lipton? He met Andersson at a party for Frank Sinatra, and had daughter Rashida Jones with Lipton
Jones and Caldwell were high school sweethearts; Andersson, a Swedish model, put out an album and a memoir; and Jones shared daughter Rashida, of Parks and Rec fame, with Twin Peaks’ Lipton
Quincy Jones, the legendary record producer and composer, died at the age of 91 on November 3. “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” his family said in a statement.
But the Grammy-winning producer’s personal life was as eventful as his career. Married three times, Jones retained close connections with his exes, and famously told GQ in January 2018, “I got 22 girlfriends … Hell, yeah. Everywhere. Cape Town. Cairo. Stockholm – she’s coming in next week. Brazil – Belo Horizonte, São Paulo and Rio. Shanghai …”
But who were the special three women Jones saw fit to marry? Here’s everything to know about Jeri Caldwell, Ulla Andersson and Peggy Lipton.
1. Jeri Caldwell
Jones and Jeri Caldwell met as students at Garfield High in Seattle in the 1940s, where Jones says Caldwell was one of the “hotsy-totsies” who caught his eye. “Jeri hit on me first,” he told Oprah, recalling her daily stops at the school’s water fountain. After dating for years, they welcomed their daughter in 1953 and married in 1957.
Caldwell supported Jones through his early career moves from Washington to New York and then Paris, where he studied under Nadia Boulanger. But, per Distractify, their relationship took a hit in 1963 when Jones had a daughter, Rachel, out of wedlock. Jones and Caldwell divorced in 1966. After Caldwell’s passing in November 2021, Jones paid tribute on Instagram, saying, “As my high school sweetheart, she was my rock, and knew me before anyone else knew my name.”