Peabo Bryson, the voice behind Disney’s greatest love songs, dies at 75

The world of music lost one of its most-beloved voices on Tuesday, June 2, when two-time Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Peabo Bryson died at the age of 75. Surrounded by his family, Bryson died just days after suffering a stroke, leaving a legacy that stretches across five extraordinary decades of music.

“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends and colleagues around the world,” his family said in a statement. “His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”

Born Robert Peapo Bryson on 13 April 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, he knew from a young age that music was his calling. “It’s all I ever wanted to really deal with,” he once recalled. He began performing professionally as a teenager, singing backing vocals with a local group before touring the Chitlin’ Circuit and eventually catching the attention of Bang Records. By 1976, he had released his debut album and a star was quietly but unmistakably rising.

His early career established him as a formidable force on the R&B charts. His 1978 single Reaching for the Sky broke into the Top 10 and a string of hits followed — among them If Ever You’re in My Arms Again, Can You Stop the Rain, and Show & Tell, which climbed to No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1989. He possessed a smooth, powerful tenor that could deliver both raw emotion and silky tenderness, making him the quintessential balladeer of his era.

But it was his gift for the duet that would define his greatest chapter. His partnership with Roberta Flack produced some of the most cherished love songs of the 1980s, including Tonight, I Celebrate My Love and the pair released the acclaimed album Born to Love in 1983. Bryson credited Flack with teaching him the true art of the duet. “The secret to a really good duet is that you have to fall a little bit in love with your duet partner,” he once said.

That philosophy translated into pure magic when Disney came calling. In 1991, his recording of Beauty and the Beast alongside a then-emerging Céline Dion became a cultural phenomenon, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning both artists a Grammy Award. A year later, Bryson joined Regina Belle on A Whole New World from Aladdin — a song so soaring and universal that it became the first track from an animated film to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100, a record that stood for 30 years until Encanto‘s We Don’t Talk About Bruno in 2022.

The Disney collaborations introduced Bryson’s voice to an entirely new generation of listeners worldwide, cementing his place not just in R&B history but in the broader tapestry of popular culture.

Throughout his career, Bryson released more than 20 studio albums and received eight Grammy nominations, winning twice. He survived a serious heart attack in 2019 and continued performing, driven by a love for his craft that never wavered.

Colleagues remembered him not only for his talent, but for his warmth, generosity and the genuine emotional connection he brought to every performance.

He is survived by his wife, Tanya Boniface Bryson, his daughter Linda, his son Robert and his grandchildren.