Roy Ayers, vibraphone master and neo-soul pioneer, dies at 84

The great Roy Ayers, the vibraphone master who pioneered neo-soul in the 1970s, died on Tuesday at age 84. The news was shared by his family: “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. 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.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Roy grew up in a musical family and, legend has it, was given a set of vibraphone mallets by Lionel Hampton when he was just five. Vibraphone would become the instrument most closely associated with Ayers’ music and a signature of his sound which blended jazz, R&B, soul and funk into what would become known as neo-soul with records like Virgo Vibes, Lifeline, and Everybody Loves the Sunshine. The title track of the latter was his signature song which has been sampled by Dr Dre & Mary J Blige, Common, J Cole, Band Nubian, Mos Def, and Joey Bada$$ to name just a few.

Ayers continued to make music and play live until very recently.

Rest easy, Roy. Thanks for all the good vibes.