Roy Ayers, legendary musician behind hit song ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine,’ dies at 84

The legendary American vibraphonist, composer and pioneer of jazz-funk died Tuesday, his family said. He was 84.

Roy Ayers, the legendary American vibraphonist, composer and pioneer of jazz-funk, died Tuesday, his family said. He was 84. The producer passed away in New York City after a long illness, the family announced on Facebook. A specific cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Ayers “lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed,” his family said. Known as the “Godfather of Neo-soul,” Ayers had been in the music business for over four decades and was best known for his 1976 hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” released by his band, Roy Ayers Ubiquity. A Los Angeles native, Ayers had a natural affinity for music from a young age. His mother, Ruby Ayers, was a piano instructor, while his father, Roy Sr., was a trombonist, according to a biography on his website. Ayers began to demonstrate his musical aptitude “by the tender age of five, by which time he was playing boogie woogie tunes on the piano,” it says. “He turned to the steel guitar by the age of (nine), had stints during his teens playing flute, trumpet and drums before embracing the vibes as his instrument of choice.”