Peabo Bryson, the smooth-voiced soul and R&B singer whose duets became some of the most beloved recordings of his generation, died on Tuesday at the age of 75. His family confirmed that he passed away in hospital in Marietta, Georgia, from complications of a stroke. He is survived by his wife Tanya and their children.
Born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1951, he grew up singing along to the records of Sam Cooke and Nat King Cole, two artists who would remain touchstones throughout his career. He began performing professionally as a teenager and released his self-titled debut album in 1976, establishing himself as a serious force in soul music with a run of sensual ballads that found their way onto the top 30 of the US soul charts.
The Disney years that made him immortal
If Bryson had a great career before the 1990s, it was the Disney collaborations that secured his place in popular culture permanently. In 1991, he sang Beauty and the Beast alongside Celine Dion for the animated film of the same name. The duet won both artists a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and earned nominations at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
The following year brought A Whole New World with Regina Belle, the theme from Aladdin. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, knocking Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You from the top spot after a 14-week run, and became the first song from an animated film to top the chart — a record it held for 30 years until We Don’t Talk About Bruno from Encanto in 2022. Another Grammy followed.
Bryson once recalled singing A Whole New World at the first Miss South Africa pageant to allow Black South African women to compete — a moment that gave the song a meaning beyond its romantic context. It is a song that represents every hope and every promise that you will ever have, he said.
The man behind the music
Bryson was known throughout his career for his duet partnerships — with Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole and Regina Belle among others — and for his refusal to chase commercial trends at the expense of artistic identity. I have to make music without giving up who I am, he said in 1992, not for any pop dream or for any promise of greater success.
He released 20 studio albums and received eight Grammy nominations across his career. His family said he was deeply loved and that his legacy and music will live on for generations to come. He leaves behind a catalogue that defined what a love song could be.
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