{"id":410065,"date":"2026-06-05T09:13:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/?p=410065"},"modified":"2026-06-05T09:13:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:13:58","slug":"peabo-bryson-timeless-tenor-of-disney-ballads-and-rb-legend-dead-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/peabo-bryson-timeless-tenor-of-disney-ballads-and-rb-legend-dead-at-75\/","title":{"rendered":"Peabo Bryson, timeless tenor of Disney ballads and R&B legend, dead at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Peabo Bryson, seen here in 2015 in Atlanta, died on Tuesday, according to a statement from his family.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peabo Bryson, whose smooth tone and operatic control produced classic Disney hits as well as R&B standards, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 75.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement said he died Tuesday evening \u201csurrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryson is best known for contributing his talents to the Oscar-winning Disney duets \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d sung alongside Celine Dion, and \u201cA Whole New World,\u201d sung with Regina Belle for the animated film \u201cAladdin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s also known for songs like \u201cFeel the Fire\u201d and \u201cCan You Stop the Rain,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belle said she visited Bryson in the hospital on Sunday after he had suffered a stroke, when she \u201cheld his hand and sang in a whisper, \u201cA Whole New World\u201d and \u201cTotal Praise,\u201d our version of the song that Peabo and I recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hardest part of this moment is knowing that I will never be able to sing again with the person who helped me create such magic,\u201d Belle said. \u201cPeabo was far more than a legendary artist; he was my friend, my trusted collaborator, and someone whose talent, kindness, and generosity left an indelible mark on my life and career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1951, Bryson was in his early teens when he began singing background for older singers. It was some of those singers\u2019 inability to pronounce \u201cPeapo\u201d that led him to the name \u201cPeabo\u201d Bryson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the age of 16, he left home to tour with Moses Dillard and the Tex-Town Display. where his soulful sound was featured on their singles \u201cCry Like a Baby\u201d and \u201cBring Your Dreams to Me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things changed when Bryson caught the attention of Eddie Biscoe, who was the general manager of Atlanta\u2019s Bullet Records. Impressed with his vocals, Biscoe encouraged the young singer to go solo and signed him to work as an arranger, producer and writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1976, Bryson released his self-titled debut album, which Biscoe executive produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years later he left for Capitol Records and released his \u201cReaching for the Sky\u201d album, which went gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing that Bryson paired well with female singers (something that would bring him even more success later in his career), the label linked him with another of their artists,\u202fNatalie Cole,\u202ffor the 1979 project \u201cWe\u2019re the Best of Friends.\u201d A year later he worked with\u202fRoberta Flack\u202ffor \u201cLive & More.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The later 1970s were good for Bryson as a solo artist, since he released several popular songs including 1977\u2019s \u201cFeel the Fire\u201d and \u201cReaching for the Sky,\u201d and 1978\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m So into You\u201d and \u201cCrosswinds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1981, \u201cLet the Feeling Flow\u201d made Bryson a mainstay of R&B radio, and he and Flack again worked together on 1983\u2019s \u201cBorn to Love,\u201d which featured the hit \u201cTonight, I Celebrate My Love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elektra Records\u202fcame calling and signed Bryson, giving him a hit that became one of his signature tunes, 1984\u2019s \u201cIf Ever You\u2019re in My Arms Again,\u201d which crossed over to the top 10 pop singles chart. Bryson crooned his 1991 hit \u201cCan You Stop the Rain,\u201d which became a standard \u201cquiet storm\u201d jam on the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was Disney\u2019s animated films and his talent for pairing well with strong female singers that won Bryson his only two Grammys back to back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His hit ballad \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d with superstar singer Celine Dion for the \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d soundtrack won the best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in 1993, and he replicated that win the following year with Regina Belle for \u201cA Whole New World (Aladdin\u2019s Theme)\u201d for the \u201cAladdin\u201d film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two songs also both earned best original song Oscars at the Academy Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2010, Bryson married British singer Tanya Boniface, who is a former member of the girl group The 411. The pair welcomed a son in 2018, who was seen singing with Bryson in a\u00a0social media video shared in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artist suffered a heart attack in 2019, and in May 2026 it was announced that he had been hospitalized following a stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile 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,\u201d his family statement read on Tuesday. \u201cHis legacy and music will live on for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story has been updated with additional information.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peabo Bryson, whose smooth tone and operatic control produced classic Disney hits as well as R&B standards, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 75. The statement said he died Tuesday evening \u201csurrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.\u201d Bryson is best known for contributing his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-410065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-whmx"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":410067,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410065\/revisions\/410067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}