Roy Ayers, the jazz-soul vibraphonist and bandleader behind 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine,' whose music became the backbone for younger artists, dies at age 84.

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.