Roy Ayers, the jazz-funk pioneer known for the hit “Everybody Loves The Sunshine,” has died. He passed away on Tuesday (March 4) in New York City following a long illness. He was 84.
“It is with great sadness that the family of legendary vibraphonist, composer and producer Roy Ayers announce his passing which occurred on March 4th, 2025 in New York City after a long illness,” his official Facebook page shared. “He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed. His family ask that you respect their privacy at this time, a celebration of Roy’s life will be forthcoming.”
Roy Ayers was a vibraphonist, record producer, and composer who was often sampled and called “The Godfather of Neo Soul.” He was born in 1940 in Los Angeles. His father played trombone and his mother played piano, and he was given his first pair of vibraphone mallets by Lionel Hampton at the age of five. He fronted a band called the Latin Lyrics in high school and sang in the church choir. In 1962, he began recording as a bebop sideman and released his debut album the following year, West Coast Vibes, with the saxophonist Curtis Amy.
He started his own band called Roy Ayers Ubiquity in the early ’70s and did the critically acclaimed soundtrack for Jack Hill’s 1973 blaxploitation movie Coffy. In 1976, he unveiled the LP Everybody Loves The Sunshine, which featured his hit of the same title as well as the beloved disco track “Brother Green (The Disco King).”
In 1977 he produced RAMP’s Come Into Knowledge. A couple of years later his No Stranger To Love song “Don’t Stop The Feeling” became his only top ten single on Billboard‘s Hot Disco/Dance chart. In 1979, he produced Give Me Your Love with Sylvia Striplin and Africa, Center Of The World with James Bedford and William Henry Allen. In the ’80s, he performed a solo on Whitney Houston’s “Love Will Save The Day.”
He continued making music into the 2000s and 2010s, eventually experimenting with house music and starting his own record labels called Uno Melodic and Gold Mink Records. His collaborators included Masters At Work, Kerri Chandler, Erykah Badu, and Tyler, The Creator.
