Kate Hudson is looking back on the profound impact Quincy Jones had on her music career.
During a recent appearance on Vogue’s The Run Through podcast, the Song Sung Blue actress recalled a sweet memory with Jones that took place at her 16th birthday party, thrown by her famous mom, Goldie Hawn.
“Quincy Jones, he was amazing and I’ve known him my whole life,” Hudson, 46, explained, while calling the pioneering music producer one of Hawn’s “oldest friends.”
“We miss him a lot,” she added of Jones, who died in November 2024 at the age of 91.
The Almost Famous actress went on to remember her 16th birthday party, during which she said Hawn “made me sing” in front of a room full of guests, which at the time, was the “worst possible thing” for a teenaged Hudson.
“My mom wanted me to sing. I was like, ‘What am I gonna sing?'” she recalled, noting that Hawn suggested she sing “That’s What Friends Are For,” co-written by Carole Bayer Sager, who was actually in attendance that night.
After she “forgot the words” to the song, Hudson said she wound up feeling “so embarrassed,” which is when Jones approached her and told her something she would never forget.
“He just looked at me and goes, ‘You need to get in the studio. When you’re ready, you get in there,'” she recounted.
Noting that she was still “terrified” of singing at the time, Hudson said, “There’s always certain people in my life that were always so encouraging”
“[Jones] was my number one for sure,” she added.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
