Peggy Lipton: Life, Career, Family, and Cause of Death

Born: August 30, 1946 ·
Died: May 11, 2019 ·
Age at death: 72 ·
Known for: The Mod Squad and Twin Peaks ·
Cause of death: Colon cancer ·
Children: Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones

Nine facts, one pattern: the core details of Lipton’s identity, family, and health are all on the record.

What was Peggy Lipton like in real life?

Lipton’s life is usually told in two acts: the star of late-1960s television and the woman who chose family over continued fame. The record supports both.

Early life and New York roots

• Born: Margaret Ann Lipton, August 30, 1946, in New York City, into a Jewish family whose grandparents had emigrated from Russia (Jewish Telegraphic Agency (news wire)).
• Move to Los Angeles: Her family relocated in 1964, and television work followed (Jewish Telegraphic Agency (news wire)).
• Early guest parts: Before her breakthrough, she appeared in episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bewitched, and The F.B.I. (The Stuttering Foundation (advocacy nonprofit)).

The Mod Squad and Twin Peaks careers

• Breakthrough: Lipton became widely known as Julie Barnes on The Mod Squad, the series that turned her into a household name.
• Recognition: The role brought a 1971 Golden Globe win for Best TV Actress – Drama, along with multiple other nominations.
• Second act: In the early 1990s she returned as Norma Jennings, owner of the Double R Diner, on Twin Peaks.

Leaving Hollywood after finding love

• Marriage: Lipton married music producer Quincy Jones in 1974 and stepped back from acting to raise their children (Vanity Fair (Hollywood magazine)).
• The pause: Her hiatus from acting lasted roughly 15 years.
• The return: She came back in Twin Peaks, playing Norma Jennings.

The pattern: every public chapter of Lipton’s life maps onto a deliberate choice. She left the spotlight before it left her.

Who dated Peggy Lipton?

This is the part of Lipton’s life where the record thins out. She was married once, to Quincy Jones, and no other long-term relationship is documented in obituaries or family statements.

Did Peggy Lipton date Elvis?

• The claim: Fan histories and tabloid roundups have linked Lipton to Elvis Presley.
• The record: Neither her family’s statements nor the major obituaries published at her death confirm the relationship, and it does not appear in her memoir.
• Verdict: Not confirmed.

Did Paul McCartney ever date Peggy Lipton?

• The claim: Paul McCartney has also been linked to Lipton in pop-culture histories.
• The record: The relationship is not part of the documented obituary record or her memoir.
• Verdict: Not confirmed.

How many husbands did Peggy Lipton have?

• One marriage: Lipton married Quincy Jones in 1974; they divorced around 1989 or 1990, with sources differing on the precise year.
• No other marriage: No other documented marriage appears in the record.

The record is the answer: the dating questions fans keep asking are exactly the ones the documents cannot settle.

How many kids did Peggy Lipton have with Quincy Jones?

Lipton and Quincy Jones had two daughters, Kidada and Rashida — born in 1974 and 1976, respectively (Los Angeles Times (West Coast daily)). Both grew up around two high-profile careers and later built their own.

Kidada Jones

• Born 1974: Kidada Jones is Lipton’s older daughter.
• Career: She worked in fashion and entertainment, becoming a recognizable name in her own right.

Rashida Jones

• Born 1976: Rashida Jones is Lipton’s younger daughter.
• Career: She became an actress and writer, with film and television roles that made her a familiar face to younger audiences.

Life after divorce

• The split: Lipton and Quincy Jones divorced around 1990, the same period she returned to acting in Twin Peaks.
• Family ties: Both daughters were part of the family statement after Lipton’s death.

The takeaway: Lipton’s identity as a mother is the through-line of her later life. The daughters she stepped back from Hollywood to raise became her most visible legacy.

What did Quincy Jones say when Peggy Lipton died?

When Lipton died, the reaction from her ex-husband and daughters was public, warm, and consistent with the private life she had chosen.

Cause of death: colon cancer

• Cause of death: Lipton died of colon cancer on May 11, 2019, at age 72 (The New York Times (obituary report)).

Quincy Jones and daughter tributes

• Quincy Jones: He issued a statement honoring Lipton after her death, remembering the family they built together.
• Kidada and Rashida: The daughters confirmed their mother’s death and described her private character in their family tribute.

Net worth reports at death

• Published estimates: Celebrity-wealth outlets published net worth figures after Lipton’s death, but those numbers are estimates, not official records.
• What is documented: Her verified achievements — a Golden Globe, two defining roles, a memoir — are the concrete record.

The pattern: death and cause are settled facts, the family’s response was public and respectful, and the only soft numbers are the estimated net worth figures.

Are any of The Mod Squad cast still alive?

No. All three original principal leads of The Mod Squad have died.

Original Mod Squad leads

• The show: The Mod Squad ran on ABC from 1968 to 1973 and was notable for multiracial casting and counterculture themes in prime time (The New York Times (obituary report)).
• The three leads: Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as Linc Hayes, and Michael Cole as Pete Cochran.

Clarence Williams III (1939-2021)

• Role: Williams played Linc Hayes, one of the three undercover operatives.
• Death: He died in 2021.

Michael Cole (1945-2024)

• Role: Cole played Pete Cochran.
• Death: He died in December 2024, closing the chapter on the original trio.

The significance: a show that once defined youth television now belongs entirely to the archive.

Peggy Lipton timeline

Nine milestones, one pattern: every major life change lined up with a career change — marriage led to a break from acting, and divorce led to a comeback.

• August 30, 1946: Born in New York City (The New York Times (obituary report)).
• 1968–1973: Starred as Julie Barnes on The Mod Squad (The New York Times (obituary report)).
• 1974: Married Quincy Jones; daughter Kidada was born (Vanity Fair (Hollywood magazine)).
• 1976: Daughter Rashida was born (Los Angeles Times (West Coast daily)).
• 1990: Divorced Quincy Jones and returned to television in Twin Peaks (BBC News (public broadcaster)).
• 2005: Published her memoir Breathing Out (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia)).
• May 11, 2019: Died of colon cancer at age 72 (The New York Times (obituary report)).
• 2021: The Mod Squad costar Clarence Williams III died.
• 2024: The Mod Squad costar Michael Cole died; Quincy Jones also died.

What this means: Lipton’s dates tell a coherent story — a fast climb, a long pause, a short second act, and a quiet ending. The timeline has no real gaps except the ones gossip tries to fill.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

The record sorts cleanly into two lists. The confirmed side is long; the unclear side is short and specific.

The split is telling: everything tied to Lipton’s public work and family life is documented, while everything tied to celebrity rumor and money stays unverified.

Voices around Peggy Lipton

Three voices carry the emotional record of Lipton’s life: her own memoir, her ex-husband’s public statement, and her daughters’ family tribute. The versions below are drawn from the documented record, not tabloid reconstruction.

In Breathing Out, Lipton wrote directly about her own life for the first time — her New York childhood, the experience of Hollywood fame, and the family years that followed.

— Peggy Lipton, her memoir Breathing Out (2005), referenced via Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia)

When Lipton died, Quincy Jones added his voice to the family’s, honoring the woman he had married in 1974 and remained connected to through their two daughters.

— Quincy Jones, statement after her death, via NPR (public radio)

Kidada and Rashida Jones confirmed their mother’s death in a family statement that described her private character and the life she built away from the cameras.

— Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones, family statement, via the Los Angeles Times (West Coast daily)

Related reading: More actor life-and-death retrospectives — Brian Dennehy: Actor’s Life, Death, Movies, and Legacy and Tony Sirico Dead: Paulie Walnuts’ Life, Prison & Career.

For anyone discovering Peggy Lipton through Twin Peaks or old episodes of The Mod Squad, the record is clearer than the gossip suggests: she was a woman who chose family over fame, then returned on her own terms. For Kidada and Rashida Jones, the archive is the inheritance — the performances remain, and so does the curiosity about the woman behind them. For fans, the choice is simple: trust the obituaries, read Breathing Out, and let Lipton’s own voice have the last word.

Frequently asked questions

The questions resolve to a simple record: Lipton’s public life is documented, and the private rumors are not.