"The hardest part of this moment is knowing that I will never be able to sing again with the person who helped me create such magic," she shared.
Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle at 2025's Aladdin In Concert performance at Yokohama, Japan's Yokohama Arena.
Yuuki Oohashi/Courtesy of Harmony Japan
“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” That was Regina Belle’s response when she chose Peabo Bryson to record “A Whole New World” with her for Disney’s Aladdin soundtrack. And on Wednesday (June 3), one day after news of Bryson’s death at age 75, she paid tribute to the man she called her “official duet partner” in a remembrance shared with Billboard:
It is with profound grief and sadness that I share the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends yesterday, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Peabo Bryson was like a brother to me. We shared a special musical and spiritual bond developed through our love of music, family and community. I initially met Peabo during my college days at Rutgers University in New Jersey more than 30 years ago, before I signed my recording contract with Columbia Records.
