Folks, it’s getting rough out here. Just days after the death of R&B/soul fixture Angie Stone, Variety reports that jazz legend Roy Ayers has died at age 84. Ayers, who primarily played the vibraphone, was sometimes called “The Godfather of Neo Soul,” and was best known for his 1976 composition “Everybody Loves The Sunshine.” His legacy was kept alive through the late ’90s and early 2000s thanks to rappers’ penchants for sampling his works, from Dr. Dre and The Notorious B.I.G. to Tyler The Creator, Joey Badass, and Larry June.
Ayers’ death was confirmed in a statement from his family, which read: “It is with great sadness that the family of legendary vibraphonist, composer, and producer Roy Ayers announce his passing which occurred on March 4, 2025 in New York City after a long illness.”
The legendary jazzman’s career started in the 1960s and continued into the ’70s; it included dozens of albums, along with the soundtrack for Blaxploitation classic, Coffy, which starred Pam Grier. Ayers continued to release albums into the mid-90s; his final release, Mahogany Vibe, came nearly a decade after its predecessor, in 2004. Deep into the next decade-plus, Ayers was a coveted collaborator of artists across disciplines, working with house DJs, neo-soul sirens, and even video game developers; he hosted an in-game radio station in Grand Theft Auto IV. Ayers is survived by his wife Argerie, and their children, Mtume and Ayana Ayers.