Samuel E Wright, Tony-winning actor best known as the voice of Sebastian the Crab, passes away aged 74

Samuel E Wright, Tony-winning actor who voiced Sebastian the Crab in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has passed away at 74.

He died on Monday, 24 May at his home in Walden, New York. The Facebook page of Montgomery, New York, where he lived for many years), paid tribute to him on Facebook.

Wright's daughter, Dee, said the actor died peacefully at home after living with prostate cancer for three years. “He was the brightest light,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Wright was a regular on the Broadway stage after his 1971 debut with rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. He replaced Ben Vereen in the original 1972-77 production of Pippin and also played Mufasa in The Lion King in 1997).

Besides voicing Sebastian the Crab, Wright appeared as jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie in Clint Eastwood’s 1988 film Bird. For The Little Mermaid, the actor sang 'Kiss the Girl', which won Best Original Song, and 'Under the Sea', which was also nominated in the same category.

Wright earned his first Tony nomination in 1984 in the musical The Tap Dance Kid. He also received another for stage production of The Lion King in 1998. In the '70s and '80s he appeared in several popular TV shows like Ball Four, All My Children and The Cosby Show. 

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