Two-time Grammy winner Peabo Bryson, whose voice graced Disney classics and R&B charts for five decades, has died after a stroke
The world of music lost one of its most-beloved voices on Tuesday, June 2, when two-time Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Peabo Bryson died at the age of 75. Surrounded by his family, Bryson died just days after suffering a stroke, leaving a legacy that stretches across five extraordinary decades of music.
“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends and colleagues around the world,” his family said in a statement. “His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”
Born Robert Peapo Bryson on 13 April 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, he knew from a young age that music was his calling. “It’s all I ever wanted to really deal with,” he once recalled. He began performing professionally as a teenager, singing backing vocals with a local group before touring the Chitlin’ Circuit and eventually catching the attention of Bang Records. By 1976, he had released his debut album and a star was quietly but unmistakably rising.
His early career established him as a formidable force on the R&B charts. His 1978 single Reaching for the Sky broke into the Top 10 and a string of hits followed — among them If Ever You’re in My Arms Again, Can You Stop the Rain, and Show & Tell, which climbed to No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1989. He possessed a smooth, powerful tenor that could deliver both raw emotion and silky tenderness, making him the quintessential balladeer of his era.