The composer was known for his often-sampled 1976 album "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" and a career that spanned six decades.

The recordings of vibraphonist Roy Ayers are part of the foundation of contemporary R&B and hip-hop; Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and many others have sampled his work.

Musicians have been paying tribute to the "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" icon, whose influence has shaped R&B, hip-hop and neo-soul.

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.

Jazz-funk musician Roy Ayers died on Tuesday after a "long illness," his family announced in a statement shared to his social media accounts.

Roy Ayers, the vibraphonist, composer, and record producer whose groove instinctively pushed jazz to its soulful outer limits of hipness, inspiring a legion of hip hop artists to sample his huge catalogue of music,