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Peabo Bryson, the Grammy-winning rhythm-and-blues singer and voice behind Disney film duets Beauty and the Beast with Céline Dion and Aladdin’s A Whole New World with Regina Belle, has died at age 75.
“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,” the family’s statement said.
Internationally celebrated for his Disney classics, Bryson also was one of R&B’s premier balladeers, with hits including Feel the Fire, I’m So Into You and Can You Stop the Rain in his over five-decade career.
In a post on X, Dion sent her condolences to Bryson’s family.
“He made me so comfortable, as I was just learning to sing in English,” the Canadian artist said of their duet, written and produced by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. “He will remain for me always as a real symbol of joy that music has brought to my life. His voice and talent will be missed.”
The song Beauty and the Beast was written and produced by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the latter dying before its release. It earned two Grammy Awards and two Academy Awards, for best original song and best original score. Angela Lansbury, who voiced Mrs. Potts in the Disney film, performed the song at the 1992 Oscars.
Bryson was nominated for eight Grammys overall, also winning for the duet with Belle.
Latest LP released in February
Born and raised in South Carolina, the singer, songwriter and balladeer recorded for Capitol, Elektra and Columbia Records, and became one of music’s most sought-after duet partners. Aside from Belle and Dion, he collaborated with artists including Minnie Riperton, Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester and Natalie Cole.
He first landed on the R&B charts with Do It With Feeling in 1975, which also just snuck into the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
His duet with Flack, Tonight, I Celebrate My Love, became one of the defining love songs of the 1980s; If Ever You’re in My Arms Again helped expand his audience beyond R&B radio. He later scored No. 1 R&B hits with Show & Tell and Can You Stop the Rain and was a consistent presence on the genre’s charts through the mid-1990s.
WATCH | Bryson’s 1991 No. 1 hit on the R&B charts:
In 2018, he returned to the studio for his first album in 11 years, Stand for Love, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The collaboration with Jam and Lewis continued with Grace, his 22nd album, released in February.
Beyond music, Bryson appeared in stage productions including Raisin, The Wiz, and Porgy and Bess.
In 2019, he made a full recovery after having a heart attack.
Bryson had a stroke in late May and was placed under medical care.
Comedian and television host Loni Love said she worked with Bryson on a cruise ship last year and spoke with him for hours on the deck one night after she noticed him sitting alone.
“He shared incredible stories, spoke passionately about his music, and had such a deep love for his craft,” she wrote in a social media post Tuesday. “I am so grateful to have had that special moment with him.”
Others paying tribute online included R&B singers Jody Watley and Kenny Lattimore, and Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, the city where Bryson had resided for years.
Bryson’s family said memorial and celebration-of-life arrangements will be announced at a later date.
