US actor Samuel E Wright, best known for voicing Sebastian the crab in Disney’s The Little Mermaid has died at 74.
Wright sang Oscar-winning song “Under The Sea” used in the 1989 animation’s and went on to play Mufasa in the original Broadway production of The Lion King.
Many paid tribute to the actor, including disney who marked the actor’s passing with a billboard tribute at The Lion King musical’s original New York home.
Born in Camden, South Carolina in 1946, Wright was part of the original Broadway cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971 and received a Tony nomination in 1984 for the musical The Tap Dance Kid.
The second Tony nomination followed in 1998 for his role as King Mufasa in The Lion Kings stage version of Disney’s 1994 film.
According to his family, Wright died on Monday at his home in Walden, New York after a three-year battle with prostate cancer.
Wright told entertainment weekly in 1991 “Sebastian has given me what I’ve always wanted as an actor, and that’s immortality”
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