{"id":2000114329,"date":"2026-06-03T16:52:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000114329"},"modified":"2026-06-03T16:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:54:16","slug":"us-rb-and-disney-music-icon-peabo-bryson-dies-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/us-rb-and-disney-music-icon-peabo-bryson-dies-at-75\/","title":{"rendered":"US R&B and Disney music icon Peabo Bryson dies at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to a family statement, Bryson passed away on Tuesday evening \u201csurrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.\u201d He had recently suffered a stroke and was hospitalised earlier in May 2026. The singer also previously survived a heart attack in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born Robert Peapo Bryson in 1951 in Greenville, South Carolina, he began performing professionally as a teenager, first singing backup for local acts before launching a solo career in the mid-1970s. His smooth tenor voice and emotional delivery quickly made him a standout in R&B music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryson rose to prominence with hits such as \u201cReaching for the Sky,\u201d \u201cFeel the Fire,\u201d and \u201cCan You Stop the Rain,\u201d becoming a regular presence on R&B radio and earning a reputation for romantic ballads and powerful duets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He became especially well known for his collaborations with female vocalists. Among his most celebrated partnerships was with Roberta Flack, producing hits including \u201cTonight, I Celebrate My Love,\u201d which became one of his signature songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryson later achieved global fame through his contributions to Disney soundtracks. His duet with C\u00e9line Dion on \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d from Beauty and the Beast, became a worldwide hit and won a Grammy Award. The song also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went on to record another iconic duet, \u201cA Whole New World,\u201d with Regina Belle for Aladdin. The song became a defining moment in Disney music history and also earned Grammy recognition, cementing Bryson\u2019s status as one of the most recognisable voices in film soundtracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over his career, Bryson released around 20 studio albums and received multiple Grammy nominations. His voice became synonymous with romantic storytelling in both R&B and cinematic music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, his family said they were deeply moved by the global outpouring of love, adding that while they are grieving, they find comfort in the legacy he leaves behind. \u201cHis voice and his generous spirit touched countless lives,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryson is survived by his wife, Tanya Boniface, and his children. His music, especially his Disney classics, is expected to continue resonating with audiences for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Born Robert Peapo Bryson in 1951 in Greenville, South Carolina, he began performing professionally as a teenager, first singing backup for local acts before launching a solo career in the mid-1970s. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US R&B and Disney music icon Peabo Bryson has died at the age of 75, his family has confirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000114330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[151],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000114329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-editors-choice","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000114330,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https___d3g70guqh4mw9g.cloudfront.net_06-03-2026_t_4591d5c810a748feb9797bd09997b147_name_GettyImages_2213240540_scaled.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1200,"height":630,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https___d3g70guqh4mw9g.cloudfront.net_06-03-2026_t_4591d5c810a748feb9797bd09997b147_name_GettyImages_2213240540_scaled.jpg","width":150,"height":79},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https___d3g70guqh4mw9g.cloudfront.net_06-03-2026_t_4591d5c810a748feb9797bd09997b147_name_GettyImages_2213240540_scaled.jpg","width":300,"height":158},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https___d3g70guqh4mw9g.cloudfront.net_06-03-2026_t_4591d5c810a748feb9797bd09997b147_name_GettyImages_2213240540_scaled.jpg","width":768,"height":403},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https___d3g70guqh4mw9g.cloudfront.net_06-03-2026_t_4591d5c810a748feb9797bd09997b147_name_GettyImages_2213240540_scaled.jpg","width":1024,"height":538},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https___d3g70guqh4mw9g.cloudfront.net_06-03-2026_t_4591d5c810a748feb9797bd09997b147_name_GettyImages_2213240540_scaled.jpg","width":1200,"height":630}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000114329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000114333,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114329\/revisions\/2000114333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000114330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000114329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000114329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000114329"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000114329"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000114329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}