ENTERTAINMENT NEWS – Roy Ayers, jazz legend, passes away at 84
Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
Roy Ayers, jazz legend, composer, keyboardist, and vocalist known for his 1976 hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine has passed away at the age of 84. His work has been sampled by multiple R&B and rap artists like Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr, Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def, and Ice Cube. The Ayers family issued a statement on Facebook saying that Roy Ayers passed away Tuesday in New York City after suffering from a long battle with illness. The post read, “He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed, it said. Ayers had 12 albums land on the Billboard 200 charts with his song “You Send Me achieving No. 48 in 1978. His music has never gone out of style and appeared in the 2019 “Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack.
Ayers’ song “Running Away” propelled A Tribe Called Quest’s 1989 opus “Description of a Fool. This song was sampled by Big Daddy Kane and Common as well. Ayers was heard on Tyler the Creator’s album “Cherry Bomb and Erykah Badu’s “Mama’s Gun.Ayers is survived by his wife Argerie, and their children Mtume and Ayana Ayers.
