The reunited stars of The Color Purple are sharing a golden-hearted tribute to a man who helped make it happen.

Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey returned to the Oscars stage Sunday night to introduce a moving dedication to their former collaborator, the late Quincy Jones, who produced and composed the music for the Steven Spielberg-directed film.

Goldberg, 69, and Winfrey, 71, highlighted the contributions Jones, who died in 2024, made to pop culture and his impact at the Academy Awards, pointing out that he was the first Black composer nominated for an Oscar for the 1967 film In Cold Blood, which was the first of his seven career Oscar nominations (the Academy eventually honored him with an Honorary Award in June 2024, months before his death).

Winfrey began the tribute by calling Jones a “musical genius” and highlighting his work in both popular music and film. “When we talk about Black excellence, we’re talking about Quincy,” Goldberg said at the top of the introduction and urged the audience to “give it up” for Jones.

“Quincy was love, lived out loud in human form. And he poured that love into others and into his work. My life changed forever and for the better after meeting him. He actually discovered me for The Color Purple, which was my first film,” Winfrey said, while Goldberg added: “Me, too.”

After the actresses spoke, they introduced Queen Latifah for a performance in Jones’ honor. The Oscar-nominated Chicago star took the stage to sing the 1975 song “Ease on Down the Road” from The Wiz, which Jones produced as the film’s soundtrack tune sung by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

Jones produced The Color Purple, which also celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, in 1985, and received three Oscar nominations for his work on the film, including one for Best Picture, one for Best Original Score, and one for Best Original Song for the tune “Miss Celie’s Blues.”

Following his death in November 2024, Goldberg said from her moderator post on The View that she cherished the 91-year-old’s friendship and professional collaboration over the years.

“Of course, he was the composer on The Color Purple, which is how I met Quincy. What I can tell you is, in three words, is that I had no better friend, he never left. When other people were flocking away, Q stayed, and he always told me to stand my ground,” Goldberg said. “I do and always will. I also want to tell people that he’s going to be receiving an honorary Oscar this year, and the last thing I’ll tell you, he’s such a prolific composer. He composed stuff you probably didn’t even know was his.”

Queen Latifah performs onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars. Kevin Winter/Getty

The Color Purple movie, based on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, went on to earn nearly $100 million at the box office and received 11 Oscar nominations — including one for Goldberg for Best Actress, and another for Winfrey for Best Supporting Actress. A musical adaptation starring Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks was released in 2023, with the latter earning an Oscar nod of her own for the project.

Goldberg, who eventually won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1990’s Ghost last joined the Oscars broadcast at the 88th ceremony in 2016. During that show, Goldberg presented the segment for the Honorary Academy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The Sister Act star and moderator of The View was more recently in a specialty film package titled Mean Tweets, which aired during the 89th Oscars, and presented at the Governors Awards tied to the 90th Oscars one year later.

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Winfrey returned to the Oscars stage as a two-time nominee, with the aforementioned nod for her supporting performance in The Color Purple and another that followed in 2015 for her work as a producer on Ava DuVernay’s Best Picture-nominated historical drama Selma. While she hasn’t won a competitive Oscar, Winfrey was presented with the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2012.

In addition to her presenting duties at this year’s ceremony and beyond, Goldberg has also hosted the Oscars four times, including shows that aired in 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2002. She’s currently the woman whose hosted the most ceremonies in Academy Awards history, and also previously served on the Academy’s Board of Governors as an acting branch representative.

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