Peabo Bryson, Voice of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘A Whole New World,’ Dies at 75

Peabo Bryson, the singer whose warm, sturdy tenor became the soundtrack to Disney’s animated renaissance, died Tuesday afternoon at his home, following a stroke. He was 75. His family confirmed his passing in statements to TMZ and People, saying he was surrounded by loved ones.

Bryson’s voice carried a particular weight in early-90s culture. His 1992 duet with Celine Dion on “Beauty and the Beast” and the following year’s “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle, from Aladdin, earned him two Grammys and anchored a moment when Disney’s musical ambition intersected with adult contemporary R&B. Those songs weren’t just film tie-ins — they worked as standalone ballads, played endlessly on radio, and they solidified Bryson as a singer who could make grand romantic gestures feel intimate.

He started on the Chitlin’ Circuit in the late 1960s, then climbed the R&B charts through the late ’70s and ’80s with lush, deliberate singles like “I’m So into You” and “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again.” He released 20 albums over his lifetime. In 2018, he returned with Stand for Love, a set produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and he was at work on another album with them titled Grace, set for release this year.

Bryson stayed active well into his later years, including a featured spot on a U.S. tour of The Wiz revival. His family’s statement acknowledged the “outpouring of love, prayers, and support” and said his voice touched many lives. That voice, now stilled, will remain embedded in a generation’s memory of magic carpets and ballroom dances.