Peabo Bryson, Grammy-winning voice behind Disney duets, dies at 75

Peabo Bryson, the Greenville-born singer whose smooth tenor helped turn two Disney ballads into permanent fixtures of American pop memory, died Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 75 after suffering a stroke. His family said he passed away peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET, surrounded by loved ones, closing a career that gave Disney’s musical era one of its most recognizable voices.

Born Robert Peapo Bryson on April 13, 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, Bryson came up through local singing jobs before moving toward a national career. He attended Washington High School and Joseph E. Beck High School, and his early recording life reflected the long climb from regional performer to mainstream balladeer. His debut album, Peabo, arrived in 1976 and featured early work with Luther Vandross and Cissy Houston, signaling the range and polish that would become his signature.

By the end of the 1970s, Bryson had translated that promise into commercial reach. His 1978 albums Reaching for the Sky and Crosswinds were certified Gold by the RIAA, placing him among the era’s durable soul and adult-contemporary voices. He later recorded with Natalie Cole and Roberta Flack, collaborations that showed how easily his voice moved between romantic pop, soul, and polished duet work without losing its warmth.

What Bryson leaves behind, though, is not only a list of credits but a very specific place in national memory. With Céline Dion, he sang Beauty and the Beast, which won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards. With Regina Belle, he recorded A Whole New World, which won the same category at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards. Those songs helped define Disney’s 1990s musical identity, giving the studio’s animated films the sound of sweep, intimacy, and wedding-day optimism.

In the days after his death, Céline Dion paid tribute to her duet partner, and other artists and entertainment outlets marked the loss in similar terms. Bryson’s death removes one of the voices that made Disney’s ballads feel like shared family rituals, the kind that outlast the film credits and settle into memory.