The legendary American vibraphonist, composer and pioneer of jazz-funk died Tuesday, his family said. He was 84.

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

Ayers could play several instruments, including the flute and trumpet but he became synonymous with the vibraphone, a percussion instrument that looks similar to a xylophone but has a set of metal ...

Roy Ayers, the legendary American vibraphonist ... the vibraphone – the percussion instrument resembling a marimba or xylophone – and moved away from the uptempo jazz sound pioneered by ...

a percussion instrument that looks similar to a xylophone but has a set of metal bars rather than wood. His other hits include Running Away and Searchin', with his band Roy Ayers Ubiquity ...