Peabo Bryson, the two-time Grammy-winning R&B artist memorable for his work on the hit Disney songs “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World,” died Tuesday. He was 75.
Bryson died in Marietta, Georgia, three days after a representative for the singer announced he had suffered a stroke. He also had a massive heart attack in 2019. The rep said he “transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.”
“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world,” Bryson’s family said in a statement. “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.”
Born Robert Peapo Bryson on April 13, 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, he launched his professional music career right after high school.
He toured with Moses Dillard in the late 1960s before going on to release his first album, Peabo, in 1976 and signing with Capitol Records a year later. He moved to Elektra Records in 1984, where he voiced the theme song for the soap opera One Life to Live in 1985, before returning to Capitol a few years later.
Across his music career, he released some 20 albums, with songs including If “Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” “Can You Stop the Rain,” “Feel the Fire” and “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” with Roberta Flack.
In addition to several Grammy nominations, Bryson won two Grammys for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion in 1993 for Beauty and the Beast and for “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle in 1994 for Aladdin.
In the late 1990s, Bryson also performed on the U.S. concert tour of The Wiz revival. He released his most recent album, Stand for Love, in 2018 through Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’s Perspective Records.
Bryson is survived by his wife, Tanya Bonaface Bryson; his children, Robert and Linda; and three grandchildren. Details about a celebration of life and memorial arrangements will be announced.
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