Whoopi Goldberg took a moment The view's political debates today to pay an emotional tribute to her friend and mentor Quincy Jones, who died on Sunday at the age of 91.

Just before the episode's first commercial break, Goldberg turned away from the panel's political discussions, paused, sighed and said to the camera, “I can't even explain what's going on in my head right now because I know I'm going to be here.” “I need to be focused, and I did,” but we just lost the extraordinary Quincy Jones.” (A sympathetic voiceover Ana Navarro whispered a comforting “Oh, Whoopi.”)

“Songwriter, composer, producer. He worked with everyone – Ray Charles, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Dinah Washington. Just everyone, he worked with everyone. And he continued to work as a composer The color purpleand that’s how I met Quincy.”

Goldberg continued: “I didn’t have a better friend. He never left, whenever people streamed away, Q stayed, and he always told me to stand firm, and I always do, and always will, because I can.”

After mentioning that Jones will receive an honorary Oscar (at the Academy's Governors Awards event on Sunday, November 17), The view The presenter said: “The last thing I will tell you is that he is such a prolific composer that he has composed things that you probably didn't even know were his, like 'Soul Bossa.' Nova,” which was famously used by Austin Powers. We’ll get to it and be right back.”