Quincy Jones (real name Quami Wallen; born June 2, 1984) is an American stand-up comedian who rose to fame when his dying wish of recording a comedy special was granted.[1]
Jones graduated from Middle College High School in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle, Washington in 2002. He was inspired to become a stand up comedian by watching Chris Rock. He began performing comedy in 2006, and six years later moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy full-time. He estimates that in one year, he performed stand up over 1,000 times.[2]
In August 2015, Jones was diagnosed with Stage IV mesothelioma and given one year to live. He began receiving treatment with chemotherapy. Friends set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to produce a stand-up special starring Jones, and his story went viral after he appeared on Ellen.[3] [4] [5] After successfully raising over $50,000, Jones filmed a comedy special at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on April 4, 2016, titled Burning the Light, and it aired on HBO on June 2.[6] Jones said in 2021 that he was planning a second special titled "Still Here" which he planned to record and release in 2021.