R&B singer Peabo Bryson was hospitalized after he suffered a stroke at his home in Cobb County, Georgia. He is receiving treatment at an Atlanta hospital and is listed in stable condition.
“Two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson — the voice behind the Oscar-winning Disney songs ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘A Whole New World’ — has suffered a stroke and is currently under medical care,” his rep said in a statement to Variety on Sunday.
“At this time, the family requests privacy as they navigate this deeply personal moment together. The thoughts, prayers and love of friends and fans are welcomed and deeply appreciated.”
Peabo’s latest setback comes after the 75-year-old singer was hospitalized in 2019 with a heart attack. Peabo’s wife, Tanya Boniface, performed CPR after he collapsed at their Marietta home.
“I thought I was asleep. I woke up five days later,” he told Ryan Cameron, host of Ryan Cameron Uncensored on Majic 107.5/975. Tanya said Peabo wasn’t aware “of all the nurses working around him, but I was the one liaising with them and talking to them, and they guided me through each phase of his recovery.”
Peabo earned 2 Grammy awards – in 1993 and 1994 for his duets with Celine Dion (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Regina Bell (“A Whole New World”).
He is also known for his soulful songs “Unconditional Love”, “Can You Stop the Rain”, “Let the Feeling Flow”, “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” (with Roberta Flack), “Feel the Fire”, “I’m So Into You”, “Reaching for the Sky”, “Born to Love” (with Roberta Flack) and “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again”.
Peabo and his wife Tanya were married in England in 2010. They share a son named Robert, born in 2018. He was engaged several times to boxer Sugar Ray Leonard’s ex-wife Juanita Leonard. He was also engaged to former Miss Virginia Angela Thigpen.
Peabo has a daughter, born in 1968, from a previous relationship, and three grandchildren.