Recommendations of the Editorial team
Peabo Bryson, whose extraordinary voice climbed the charts and earned him two Grammys for Disney classics such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World,” has died at the age of 75.
His family confirmed the news to Rolling Stone, saying the singer passed away after suffering a stroke and “peacefully closed his eyes forever at 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.”
“We are deeply moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and condolences from fans, friends and colleagues around the world,” the family said in a statement. “Even though our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how much Peabo was loved and how many lives his voice and generous spirit touched. His legacy and his music will endure for generations to come.”
Career and beginnings
Bryson was born on April 13, 1951 in Greenville, South Carolina and began his professional music career shortly after high school. After touring with Moses Dillard in the late 1960s, he released his debut album, Peabo, in 1976 and signed with Capitol Records a year later. After a stint at Elektra Records – where he sang the theme song for the 1985 soap opera “One Life to Live” – he finally returned to Capitol.
Over the course of his prolific career, Bryson became known for his flawless tenor and impressive vocal technique. He worked with well-known R&B greats such as Sam Cooke and Brian McKnight. A specialist in big ballads – “I’m So Into You”, “Let the Feeling Flow”, “If It’s Really Love”, “Feel the Fire” and “Through the Fire” – he released around 20 albums, placed 17 tracks in the top 20 of the R&B charts and brought home three gold awards. He opened up a new audience with the title songs for Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin”: In 1993 he created the duet “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion, followed in 1994 with “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin” with Regina Belle.
“If I were to tell you what feelings accompany me almost every day: gratitude is one, humility is another – and affirmation. Not in the way you might think, but affirmation of the faith I have placed in myself and the people around me, and in the person I have remained,” Bryson told Rolling Stone in 2018. “I’m really happy about it. I like myself. And I like that I don’t feel the need to list or trumpet my accomplishments in front of anyone. But if someone were to stop and investigate – there’s no one like me.”
_____________________________________________________________
Why does Campino think that sometimes it’s good to just keep your mouth shut? Why does he sometimes feel like a drinks delivery man? He provides the answer in our cover story about the Toten Hosen’s big farewell, exclusively in issue 06/26. And that’s not all: the magazine includes the world exclusive 7-inch single “Always just loved” – on which Sven Regener from Element of Crime also contributed. You can easily order the ROLLING STONE edition here.