Peabo Bryson, the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer whose voice became synonymous with Disney romance in the 1990s, died on June 2, surrounded by family. He was 75.
Bryson passed away just days after suffering a stroke, according to a statement shared with numerous outlets by his family. A representative for his family did not immediately return a request for comment from NTD News.
"We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world," his family said. "While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit. His legacy and music will live on for generations to come."
His two most iconic collaborations came courtesy of Disney. In 1991, his duet with Céline Dion on "Beauty and the Beast" topped the pop charts. A year later, he and Regina Belle released "A Whole New World" from Aladdin—the first song from an animated film to reach No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. Both songs earned Grammy Awards and Oscars.
Bryson's career stretched back to the late 1960s, when he began performing with Moses Dillard and The Tex-Town Display at the age of 16 before launching a solo career. He achieved back-to-back gold albums with Capitol Records—"Reaching for the Sky" in 1977 and "Crosswinds" in 1978—and scored his first R&B No. 1 single in 1989 with a remake of "Show & Tell.”
Beyond the industry accolades, Bryson measured his legacy in more personal terms. He told Tatler Asia that some of his proudest moments had nothing to do with awards. "To be part of somebody's life that you don't even know and to have influenced him or her to have children is probably better than a Grammy or an Oscar or any of those things," he said.
Bryson had faced serious health challenges in recent years. He suffered a heart attack in 2019 but made a full recovery.