Roy Ayers, a jazz legend who influenced hip-hop and R&B musicians, dies at 84

By Mark Kennedy

Roy Ayers, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” that has been sampled by such R&B and rap heavyweights as Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def and Ice Cube, has died. He was 84.

The Ayers family said in a Facebook post that he died Tuesday in New York City after suffering from a long illness. “He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed,” it said.

Ayers had 12 albums land in the Billboard 200 album charts, the highest being “You Send Me” in 1978 at No. 48. His “The Best of Roy Ayers” spend 50 weeks on the Contemporary Jazz Album chart.

His music never went out of style, appearing in the 2019 “Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack.” His song “Running Away” propelled A Tribe Called Quest’s 1989 opus