Peabo Bryson, the two-time Grammy-winning R&B singer and songwriter, died June 2. He was 75. He reportedly had suffered a stroke days prior.
The artist was known for singing soul ballads, including “A Whole New World” from Aladdin with Regina Belle and the title song from from Beauty and the Beast, a duet with Celine Dion.
“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world,” Bryson’s family said in a statement to People. “While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit. His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”
Born Robert Peopo Bryson on April 13, 1951, in Greenville, SC, he launched his music career with his 1976 debut album Peabo. The following year, he would sign with Capitol Records with the release of Reaching for the Sky. Some of his hits include “Feel the Fire,” “Reaching for the Sky,” “I’m So into You,” “Crosswinds,” “Let the Feeling Flow,” “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” “Show & Tell,” and “Can You Stop the Rain.”
In 1985, Bryson appeared on One Life to Live, where he sang a lyrical version of the classic theme song.
After first charting in 1975, Bryson had a pair of smash pop hits with theme songs from back-to-back Disney toons. “Beauty and the Beast” reached the Top 10 in 1991, and “A Whole New World” topped the Billboard Hot 100 the following year. He also had a Top 10 pop hit with “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” in 1984.
Bryson’s two Grammy Awards were for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Beauty and the Beast” — which also was up for Record of the Year — and “A Whole New World.” He also had a half-dozen other Grammy noms from 1992-2000.
in 1983, Bryson and Roberta Flack released the duets LP Born to Love, which spawned “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” a Top 5 R&B and AC hit that reached the pop Top 20. In all, Bryson had nine R&B Top 10s, including the chart-toppers “Show & Tell” (1989) and “Can You Stop the Rain” (1991).
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Bryson recorded 20 solo albums from 1976-2018, including a half-dozen that hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. He had five career gold albums, including three in a row in 1978-79: Reaching for the Sky, Crosswinds and We’re the Best of Friends, a duets disc with Natalie Cole. His LP with Flack also went gold.
Bryson also teamed with Kenny G for “By the Time This Night Is Over,” a track on the latter’s 1993 album Breathless that became one of Bryson’s three songs to top Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. That album has sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone.
