Peabo Bryson’s Atlanta farewell is set for June 22 with a live stream for global fans.
Peabo Bryson passed away on June 2, 2026, at the age of 75, following a stroke. His family announced that he transitioned peacefully, surrounded by the people closest to him. The music world responded with an outpouring that reflected just how deeply his voice had reached over more than five decades in the industry.
On June 22, 2026, a private celebration of life will be held at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta. The ceremony will be live-streamed, giving fans across the country and around the world access to a farewell that would otherwise be reserved for those in the room. It is the kind of gesture that fits the man. Bryson’s music was never just for a select few.
Who will be there to honor Bryson
The full performer lineup had not been announced at the time of publication, but several names have been confirmed. BeBe Winans, one of gospel music’s most enduring figures, is expected to perform. Ruben Studdard, winner of “American Idol,” will also be in attendance. Regina Belle, who recorded the Grammy-winning Beauty and the Beast alongside Bryson for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, is expected to be present as well.
The gathering of artists from across genres is a reflection of how broadly Bryson’s collaborations extended. He did not stay in one lane, and the people coming to honor him did not either.
The recordings that defined his legacy
Bryson earned his first Grammy for Beauty and the Beast, the title track from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, recorded with Celine Dion. The song won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 1993 Grammy Awards. His second Grammy came for A Whole New World, the duet with Regina Belle from Disney’s Aladdin, which won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal the following year.
Those two wins, back to back, cemented a run that few artists in any genre could match. But Bryson’s catalog stretched far beyond Disney soundtracks. He built a reputation over decades as one of the most skilled practitioners of romantic R&B, a vocalist whose control and warmth made him a natural collaborator for artists across pop, soul, and gospel.
Celine Dion shared a tribute following his passing, recalling the ease she felt recording with him and describing his presence in the studio as something that made the work feel less like work. Her words echoed what many who collaborated with Bryson have said over the years.
The family he leaves behind
Bryson is survived by his wife, Tanya Boniface Bryson, their 8-year-old son, Robert, his adult daughter Linda Bryson, and three grandchildren. In his later years, he was focused on fatherhood, raising Robert and building the kind of everyday memories that tend to matter more than career highlights when you are actually living your life.
His family released a statement in the days following his death, expressing gratitude for the love that came in from fans and colleagues. They acknowledged the grief while also finding comfort in knowing how widely Bryson was loved and how many people his music had reached across generations.
What his passing means for the genre
Romantic R&B has lost several of its foundational voices in recent years, and Bryson’s death adds to a growing absence that fans of the genre feel in a specific way. His style of singing, rooted in restraint and sincerity rather than acrobatics, influenced a generation of vocalists who learned from watching him make difficult things sound effortless.
The celebration of life in Atlanta on June 22 will not close that chapter so much as acknowledge it. His recordings remain. The duets are still being streamed. A Whole New World still plays at weddings. Beauty and the Beast still opens something in people who heard it at the right moment in their lives.
Peabo Bryson sang love songs, and he meant them. That tends to last.