Legendary jazz vibraphonist, composer, and producer Roy Ayers has died at the age of 84, his family confirmed in a statement.
Roy Ayers dies: What’s the cause of death?
Ayers, known for his iconic hit Everybody Loves the Sunshine, passed away on 4 March 2025, in New York City after a long illness.
His family described him as “highly influential and sought after as a music collaborator”, leaving behind a lasting legacy in jazz, funk, and soul music.
The exact nature of his illness was not disclosed, but it was confirmed that his health had been deteriorating for some time.
Roy Ayers biography
Born on 10 September 1940, in Los Angeles, Ayers grew up in a musical family, with his father playing trombone and his mother playing piano.
His passion for music started at an early age, and by the time he was five years old, he had already received his first pair of vibraphone mallets from jazz legend Lionel Hampton.
Ayers gained recognition in the 1960s, first as a bebop sideman before forming his own band, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, in the early 1970s.
His unique blend of jazz, funk, and R&B helped him cross genres, making him one of the most sampled artists in hip-hop and electronic music history.
Some of his notable contributions include:
- Scoring the soundtrack for the 1973 blaxploitation film Coffy, starring Pam Grier.
- Releasing hit albums such as Everybody Loves the Sunshine (1976) and Mystic Voyage (1975).
- Touring Nigeria and collaborating with Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti in the late 1970s.
- Producing music for artists such as RAMP and Sylvia Striplin.
- Being sampled by hip-hop and R&B artists, including A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Tyler, the Creator.
Ayers remained active in music for over six decades, performing worldwide and inspiring generations of artists across different genres.
Reactions to Roy Ayers’s death
The news of Ayers’s passing has led to an outpouring of tributes from musicians, fans, and industry figures.
Here are some of the reactions we picked:
