Will Smith honored the late musical legend and Hollywood icon Quincy Jones with a touching message shared on social media, looking back on their time working together on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Jones passed away Sunday (Nov. 3) at the age of 91. While Jones was a world-renown composer and musical producer, he also played a hand producing several notable projects in television and film, including the hit family sitcom.

Smith shared an image of himself and Jones on the set of the NBC sitcom, with the caption “Quincy Jones is the true definition of a Mentor, a Father and a Friend.”

“He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me,” Smith’s statement continued. “He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.”

The rapper-turned-actor has long credited Jones, who was an executive producer on the show, with convincing him to even try out for the role that launched his acting career. At the time, Smith was rapping as part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

Smith revealed during the 2020 Fresh Prince reunion special that Jones “steamrolled” him into auditioning during his birthday party.

Reflecting on the experience with his former co-stars in the famous Banks living room, Smith recalled that Jones cleared out a room at his own birthday party so Smith could audition before the NBC execs who were attending.

“I said, ‘Quincy, I don’t know how to act, I’m not an actor. Just give me two weeks, let me find an acting coach and let me work on it and then let’s just set up a proper audition,'” Smith recounted, per Entertainment Weekly. “He says, ‘Here’s the deal: Right now, everybody who needs to say yes for this show is sitting out in that living room waiting for you.’ And I was like, ‘Give me 10 minutes.'”

Smith’s rap partner and Fresh Prince co-star DJ Jazzy Jeff corroborated the story, adding, “We were on tour and had a day off and Will flew and came back and said, ‘I got a TV show.'”

Jones appeared in just one episode of the show in its entire six seasons.

He also composed music for the show and later served as an executive producer on the Max reboot Bel-Air.