Roy Ayers, jazz-soul legend whose music was heavily sampled by younger artists, dies at 84

Roy Ayers, the “King of Neo Soul” who was calved and raised connected Vernon Avenue conscionable southbound of downtown Los Angeles and saw much than 60 of his songs sampled by a who’s who of hip-hop and psyche artists, died Wednesday successful New York. The bandleader and vibraphonist was 84.

“It is with large sadness that the household of legendary vibraphonist, composer and shaper Roy Ayers denote his passing which occurred connected March 4th, 2025 successful New York City aft a agelong illness,” his household said precocious Tuesday successful a connection connected social media. “He lived a beauteous 84 years and volition beryllium sorely missed. His household inquire that you respect their privateness astatine this time, a solemnisation of Roy’s beingness volition beryllium forthcoming.”

“I grew up listening to the legendary Roy Ayers,” erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday connected X. “‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’ is 1 of my favourite songs, and it has scored immoderate of the astir important moments successful my life. When Doug [Emhoff] and I were dating, 1 of the archetypal things Cole [Emhoff] and I bonded implicit was our emotion for Roy Ayers.”

Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” a insignificant deed erstwhile archetypal issued, has been a Southern California anthem since its merchandise successful 1976. The longevity of the jazz-driven psyche opus is mostly owed to its usage successful hip-hop and psyche tracks, with snippets of the opus sampled by Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, J Dilla, 2Pac, J. Cole and dozens of others.

Hundreds of different artists including Tyler, the Creator, Jill Scott and Madlib sampled Ayers, earning him a vaunted spot among euphony producers and DJs. His enactment successful the 1970s arsenic bandleader of the six-piece set Roy Ayers Ubiquity helped spawn the subgenre called acerb jazz.

“If I didn’t person music, I wouldn’t adjacent privation to beryllium here,” Ayers told The Times successful 2011. “It’s similar an flight erstwhile determination is nary escape. An flight for impermanent moments.” He said helium was blessed that helium ne'er asked anyone to illustration his music, though helium thought astatine the clip that astir 60 artists had done so.

“They conscionable started doing it,” helium said. “It’s been fantastic proceeding radical enactment their ain rotation connected my sounds.”

Roy Edwards Ayers was calved Sept. 10, 1940, successful southbound Los Angeles to a philharmonic household — dada played trombone, ma played piano. He was raised against the backdrop of the storied Central Avenue Jazz country during the 1940s and ‘50s. The country (known past arsenic South Park) was a comparatively peaceful beacon of African American culture, fostering luminaries including revered musicians Dexter Gordon and Charles Mingus.

Ayers told The Times successful 2011 however arsenic a 5-year-old successful the assemblage astatine the Paramount Theater helium received his archetypal acceptable of mallets from the large Lionel Hampton. “At the time, my parent and begetter told maine helium laid immoderate spiritual vibes connected me,” Ayers said. They became his limb of prime aft picking up the vibraphone arsenic a Thomas Jefferson High School pupil astatine property 17.

Ayers released his debut album, “West Coast Vibes,” successful 1962. He relocated to New York City successful 1966 aft helium dropped retired of Los Angeles City College and began touring with flute subordinate Herbie Mann.

With Argerie Ayers, whom helium joined successful 1973, the instrumentalist had lad Mtume and girl Ayana, who aboriginal became his manager. He besides had a son, writer Nabil Ayers, with ballerina-turned-waitress Louise Braufman.

As a bandleader, Ayers’ albums see 20 workplace records, 9 collaborative releases and six unrecorded ones. He released 17 singles, chiefly successful the 1970s and 1980s, including “Don’t Stop the Feeling,” “Hot,” “Running Away,” “Get connected Up, Get connected Down” and “In the Dark.”

He did the soundtrack to the Blaxploitation movie “Coffy,” which was co-written by its prima Pam Grier and manager Jack Hall. Quentin Tarantino’s Vista Theater retro cafe, Pam’s Coffy, pays homage to the 1973 project, and Tarantino utilized the euphony from “Coffy” successful his 1997 Grier movie “Jackie Brown.”

“The president of PolyGram came to maine successful 1973 and said, ‘Roy, tin you bash a soundtrack?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ I had ne'er done a soundtrack successful my life,” helium told instrumentalist Stephen Titmus successful 2014. “So they sent maine retired to California and showed maine the movie and showed maine everything I had to bash and I did it.” His acquisition moving with large bands made for casual work, helium said.

Ayers’ vocation got a important revival successful the 1990s when, during hip-hop’s Golden Era, sample-minded emcees plumbed his ample catalog and worked his euphony into theirs. His “King of Neo Soul” rubric came from singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, 1 of the artists who partnered with him connected his 2004 grounds “Mahogany Vibe.”

“I wrote the opus due to the fact that I felt it,” Ayers told The Times successful 2020 via email erstwhile asked astir the spot of “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” successful Southern California culture. “Perhaps due to the fact that it is sunny and beauteous retired connected the West Coast, that came through.”

Times lawman exertion Nate Jackson and erstwhile unit writer Randall Roberts contributed to this report.