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Roy Ayers, the legendary vibraphonist, record producer and composer behind hits like Everybody Loves the Sunshine and No Stranger to Love, has died. He was 84.
Ayers, nicknamed the Godfather of Neo Soul, died on Tuesday, March 4 in New York City after a long illness, according to a statement published on his official Facebook account.
He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed. His family ask that you respect their privacy at this time, a celebration of Roys life will be forthcoming, the statement read.
The Los Angeles native was born on Sept. 10, 1940, and his musical influences came early as his father played trombone and his mother played piano.
Ayers was known for pioneering the jazz-funk genre. His 1976 hit Everybody Loves the Sunshine has been widely sampled by multiple artists for decades.
During a February 2020 exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Blige, 54, discussed Ayers impact on one of her favorite songs throughout her decades-long career.
My Life is one of the most important records of my life, the nine-time Grammy winner said. Its definitely one of the most important and its one of my favorite songs ever sampled which is Roy Ayers Everybody Loves the Sunshine.
Mutt hitmaker Leon Thomas named Ayers one of the artists who influenced his 2023 project Electric Dusk in a November 2024 interview with PEOPLE.
Im trying to create that psychedelic feeling in R&B and its a really tough thing because the genre is pretty iron clad, Thomas, 31, said at the time. They like certain colors, certain vibes, certain things, but Im doing my best to dare to be different.
Following the 1970 album Ubiquity, Ayers named himself and his live band Roy Ayers Ubiquity.
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Ayers spent his life performing, early on appearing on shows like Soul Train and headlining an NPR Tiny Desk concert in March 2018.
Ayers is survived by his wife Argerie, and their children Mtume and Ayana Ayers.
