Peabo Bryson Voice Of Love Dies at 75 in Marietta
Peabo Bryson voice of love ended Tuesday in Marietta, Georgia, when the two-time Grammy-winning R&B singer died at 75, three days after a representative said he had suffered a stroke. His death closes the career of a vocalist whose biggest commercial reach came through Disney-linked duets and decades of album releases.
Marietta and the stroke timeline
Peabo Bryson died in Marietta on Tuesday, and the timing matters because the stroke report came only three days earlier. The representative said he had “transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.”
That sequence leaves a short window between medical crisis and death. Bryson had also suffered a massive heart attack in 2019, and the public record now ends with a final health fight that moved quickly.
Disney duets and Grammy wins
Two Grammys defined Bryson’s highest-profile crossover work. He won best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion in 1993 and repeated the same category in 1994 for “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle.
Those wins gave his voice a permanent place in the Disney songbook while also lifting his profile beyond R&B radio. He was known for songs including “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” “Can You Stop the Rain,” “Feel the Fire,” and “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” with Roberta Flack.
From Greenville to 20 albums
Born Robert Peapo Bryson on April 13, 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, he launched his professional music career right after high school and toured with Moses Dillard in the late 1960s. He released his first album, “Peabo,” in 1976, signed with Capitol Records in 1977, and moved to Elektra Records in 1984.
By 1985, he was also the voice behind the theme song for “One Life to Live,” and his catalog eventually reached some 20 albums. He later performed on the U.S. concert tour of “The Wiz” revival in the late 1990s and released “Stand for Love” in 2018 through Perspective Records.
Bryson family and legacy
Bryson is survived by his wife, Tanya Bonaface Bryson, his children Robert and Linda, and three grandchildren. His family said, “We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world,” and added, “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.” For listeners, that means the practical archive is already fixed: the duet recordings, the solo albums, and the television and soundtrack work that made Bryson a durable crossover presence remain the core of his catalog now.
