He helped introduce a funkier strain of the music in the 1970s. He also had an impact on hip-hop: His “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has been sampled nearly 200 times.

Roy Ayers, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has died.

Roy Ayers, the vibraphonist and composer known for such songs as “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and “Coffey” has died. He was 84. Ayers died on Tuesday at his home in New York City after a long illness, according to a post on his Facebook page.