Quincy Jones Scores Posthumous No. 1 with Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'

In a surprising turn of events, legendary producer Quincy Jones has returned to the top of a Billboard chart for the first time since his passing in November 2024. This achievement is thanks to his production work on Michael Jackson's iconic 1982 hit "Thriller," which has seen a major resurgence in popularity leading up to Halloween this year.

The song, which Jones produced, has reentered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 32 and risen to No. 4 on the Hot R&B Songs and No. 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. In the week of October 24-30, "Thriller" racked up 8.9 million official U.S. streams (up 74% week-over-week), 4.2 million in radio airplay audience (up 90%), and 2,000 downloads sold (up 101%). With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, the first day of the next data tracking period, the song is expected to see an even bigger boost on next week's charts.

In addition to his work on "Thriller," Jones has also topped Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Producers and R&B Producers charts, marking the first time he's reached No. 1 on a Billboard chart since 2019. Over his illustrious seven-decade career, Jones helped shape modern popular music, producing seminal works by Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Lesley Gore, and many others.

Amidst Jones' posthumous success, pop star Demi Lovato has also achieved a career milestone, scoring her first No. 1 dance album with "It's Not That Deep."