Image Credit : Marselle Washington for Marco Imagery
Peabo Bryson, the two-time Grammy-winning balladeer celebrated globally as the “Voice of Love,” passed away at age 75 on June 2, 2026. The iconic singer transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET in Marietta, Georgia, following complications from a stroke. His family confirmed the devastating news in a joint statement, noting that he was surrounded by those closest to him.
“With broken hearts and profound sadness, the family of Peabo Bryson announces his passing,” the statement shared with Variety reads. “For more than five decades, Peabo’s extraordinary voice served as the soundtrack to some of life’s most cherished moments. While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved.”
Image credit: Julie Yarbrough
🌟 A Legacy Written in Duets and Disney Magic
Born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, South Carolina, the singer’s smooth, velvety tenor voice defined the adult contemporary and “Quiet Storm” R&B genres. While he earned massive success on the R&B charts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, his career reached historic heights in the early 1990s through his work on legendary Disney animated soundtracks.
“Beauty and the Beast” (1991): Partnering with a then-burgeoning Celine Dion, Bryson anchored the film’s title track, earning his first Grammy Award.
“A Whole New World” (1992): Recorded with Regina Belle for Aladdin, the track made history by topping the Billboard Hot 100 and dethroning Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” after a 14-week run, securing Bryson his second Grammy.
Beyond film music, Bryson was widely considered the music industry’s premier duet partner, most notably teaming up with Roberta Flack for the 1983 romantic staple “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love”. His solo catalog was equally potent, featuring massive crossover hits like 1984’s “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” and the 1991 R&B chart-topper “Can You Stop the Rain”.
Peabo Bryson in April 2025 in Warren, Mich.Monica Morgan/Getty
💔 Outpouring of Tributes From Around the World
The news of Bryson’s passing triggered a massive wave of grief and remembrance across the music industry.
Taking to Instagram, long-time collaborator Celine Dion shared an emotional throwback photo and expressed her heartbreak. “His incredible voice and his kind spirit embodied the beauty of song and performance,” Dion wrote. “He made me so comfortable, as I was just learning to sing in English. He will remain for me always as a real symbol of joy.”
Bryson is survived by his wife, Tanya Boniface Bryson, his children, Robert and Linda, and three grandchildren. The family has requested privacy during this difficult time, and details regarding a public celebration of life are expected to be announced soon.
Bullet, CEO of Ruff Town Records, has recently spoken about the music royalties of the late Ghanaian artist Ebony Reigns and his relationship with her father. In an interview on Okay FM with Nana Romeo, Bullet disclosed that he recently transferred $100,000 to Ebony’s father, which he explained was half of Ebony’s royalties.
He mentioned that originally, Ebony was entitled to 20% of her royalties according to their agreement. However, he claimed that Ebony’s father pressured him into increasing her share to 50%. Bullet also accused Ebony’s father of repeatedly demanding money from him, including funds that were intended to promote and support Ebony’s first concert.
Despite these pressures, Bullet stated that he chose to stay silent and fulfilled his obligations. “I recently gave Ebony’s father $100,000, which is 50% of Ebony’s royalties. Originally, she was supposed to get 20%, but her father bullied me into increasing it to 50%,” Bullet revealed.
He recounted that after Ebony’s first official party, her father insisted on receiving her share of the money, which was meant for her promotion. Bullet said he went to the bank with him and withdrew the funds, noting that her father does not publicly acknowledge this support.
Bullet also claimed that Ebony’s father often criticizes him publicly but fails to acknowledge the financial assistance he has provided over the years.
Nigerian movie actor Alexx Ekubo has passed away at the age of 40. The popular Nollywood actor had been away from the screen for some time and reportedly died after battling an undisclosed illness. Colleagues and close associates confirmed his death on Tuesday, expressing deep grief over the loss of a figure widely regarded as one of Nollywood’s most charismatic and stylish actors.
In a tribute, fellow actor Godwin Nnadiekwe described Ekubo as “a rare soul” and said the news had left him devastated, as he struggled to come to terms with the loss.
Ekubo was renowned for his roles in romantic comedies and drama films, building a strong reputation in Nollywood through performances in productions such as “Weekend Getaway” and “The Bling Lagosians”. He was also recognized for his fashion sense and influence among younger audiences.
Throughout his career, he appeared in numerous films and television shows, earning acclaim for his versatility and commanding screen presence. His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from industry colleagues, with notable figures including Funke Akindele, Blessing CEO, Kate Henshaw, and Mercy Johnson sharing their condolences on social media.
The 27th edition of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs) took place at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Saturday, May 9. The event was attended by prominent figures in the music industry and featured performances from artists including Enam, Morgan Nero (who also performed after winning Unsung Artiste of the Year), Kofi Kinaata, Piesie Esther, Diana Hamilton, Wendy Shay, Samini, Medikal, Black Sherif, Lasmid, and a tribute to Daddy Lumba.
Black Sherif was announced as the Artiste of the Year. Here is the complete list of winners:
Hiplife Song of the Year: Medikal
Best Highlife Song of the Year: Kofi Kinaata
Best Male Vocalist of the Year: Asiamah
Best Female Vocalist of the Year: Enam
Best Hiphop Song of the Year: Black Sherif
Best Collaboration of the Year: Medikal ft Shatta Wale
International Collaboration of the Year: Molliy (Shake it to the Max remix)
Best Afro Pop Song of the Year: Black Sherif
Afrobeats Song of the Year: Kojo Black
Best Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year: Molliy (Shake it to the Max)
Best Music Video/Director: David Duncan (AraTheJay) for “Put Am on God”
Urban/Contemporary Song of the Year: Kofi Owusu-Peprah
Gospel Artiste of the Year: Diana Hamilton
Best Producer of the Year: KTown (Shoulder)
Best Afrobeats/Afropop Artiste of the Year: Wendy Shay
Best Traditional Gospel Song of the Year: Piesie Esther
Black Sherif has secured the Artiste of the Year award at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards for the second time, following a year marked by significant achievements in Ghanaian music. The artist, whose real name is Mohammed Ismail Sherif and who hails from Konongo, emerged victorious on Saturday night at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre, competing against notable artists such as Medikal, Wendy Shay, Diana Hamilton, Stonebwoy, and Sarkodie.
This consecutive win marks Black Sherif’s second Artiste of the Year accolade, having first received the award in 2023 during the 24th edition of the scheme. Industry insiders noted that his latest victory was expected, given his dominant presence on international streaming platforms throughout the year.
His 2025 album, “Iron Boy”, played a central role in his success, achieving remarkable success both locally and internationally. On Spotify, Black Sherif has approximately 2.6 million monthly listeners, and “Iron Boy” debuted at number 6 on the UK Top Debut Albums chart. He was also Ghana’s most-streamed artist for the third consecutive year, with nine of the platform’s top 10 songs belonging to him.
His achievements extended to Apple Music, where he held all top 12 positions on the platform, with “Iron Boy” remaining at Number One for 21 weeks. The song “Sacrifice” was recognized as the top song of the year. Additionally, the album reached Number 10 on the Billboard World Albums chart, highlighting his expanding global reach.
Black Sherif also surpassed 100 million streams on Boomplay and has accumulated over 1.11 billion plays on Audiomack, with 3.01 million listeners and 5.83 million followers on the platform.
Beyond the Artiste of the Year award, he also won three other major awards: Best Hiphop Song of the Year, Best Afro Pop Song of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year.
Organised by Charterhouse Productions, the Telecel Ghana Music Awards remains Ghana’s most prestigious music awards event, celebrating excellence across genres while considering streaming figures, airplay, performances, and overall influence in the music industry.
The trial of American music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is accused of running a sprawling sex trafficking operation, is almost over.
The 55-year-old was arrested last September and faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him.
Dozens of prospective jurors were screened before being whittled down to 12 and six alternates.
During the trial, the jury has heard from 34 witnesses, including ex-girlfriends, former employees of Mr Combs, male escorts and federal agents.
The prosecution presented their closing statement on Thursday, and told the jury that Mr Combs is the “leader of a criminal enterprise” who used violence and fear in “brutal crimes”.
Mr Comb’s defence team is expected to present their closing statements on Friday.
After that, it will go to the 12-member jury to decide the fate of the hip-hop mogul.
Mr Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits from individuals who accuse him of using his power to drug, assault, rape, intimidate and silence people. He has said the individual lawsuits are attempts “for a quick payday”.
How can I follow the trial?
The court is expected to be open to the public, but proceedings will not be televised or streamed online.
Cameras, phones and electronic devices are normally not allowed in US federal courtrooms.
The trial proceedings began in early May with jury selection at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian told jurors the trial could last around eight weeks.
How were jurors selected?
Dozens of potential jurors were vetted by the court.
The process included potential jurors looking through a long list of places and people that could be mentioned during the trial, with names like Kanye West and Kid Cudi.
The “People and Places” list was so long that Judge Subramanian said he “felt like I was reading an appendix for Lord of the Rings”.
Potential jurors also had to fill out questionnaires that asked whether they had “views about hip hop artists” or “feelings concerning violence, sexual assault”.
The judge reminded the court several times of the importance of choosing a fair and impartial jury.
What are the charges and allegations against Diddy?
In the federal criminal case being heard in New York, Mr Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Many of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy charge.
This includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence.
In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
Tony Buzbee, a Texas lawyer handling some of these cases, said that more than 100 women and men from across the US had either filed lawsuits against the rap mogul or intended to do so.
In December 2023, a woman known in court papers as Jane Doe alleged that she was “gang raped” by Mr Combs and others in 2003, when she was 17. She said she was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” before the attack.
Mr Combs’ legal team dismissed the flurry of lawsuits as “clear attempts to garner publicity.”
Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura were in an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade
Mr Combs’ current legal issues began in late 2023 when he was sued by Ms Ventura, also known as Cassie, for violent abuse and rape.
That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence.
Since then, dozens of other people have filed lawsuits accusing Mr Combs of sexual assault, with accusations dating back to 1991. He denies all the claims.
He apologised for his behaviour, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
What has Diddy said about the charges against him?
In a statement to the BBC about the federal criminal charges, Mr Combs’ lawyer said: “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”
Diddy’s lawyers later filed a motion to dismiss one part of the federal indictment in which he is accused of transportation to engage in prostitution. His team argued he was being unfairly targeted due to his race.
They said he thought it was “appropriate” to have multiple sex partners, including sex workers.
At the same hearing, prosecutors revealed that Mr Combs had rejected a plea deal.
Mr Combs’ lawyers have consistently denied the allegations made against him in the civil lawsuits, describing them as “sickening” and suggesting they were made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.
How long could Diddy spend in jail if he is found guilty?
Mr Combs has been held at this Brooklyn jail
If convicted on the racketeering charge, Mr Combs faces up to life in prison.
He faces another statutory minimumo sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking.
Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York, since his arrest on 16 September 2024.
Critics describe the prison as overcrowded and understaffed, with a culture of violence.
His lawyers argued for his release, citing the jail’s “horrific” conditions, but a New York federal judge denied the bail request, describing Mr Combs as a “serious flight risk”.
They accused him of “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”.
A judge permitted Mr Combs to wear non-prison clothing during his trial rather than the jumpsuits he wears in jail.
When he appeared in court for jury selection, the rapper wore a blue sweater and white shirt with glasses on his head.
How did ‘Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs become successful?
Mr Combs – who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love – emerged in the hip-hop scene in the 1990s.
His early music career success included helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Christopher Wallace – aka Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G.
His music label Bad Boy Records became one of the most important labels in rap and expanded to include Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.
Mr Combs also had a prolific business career outside of music, including a deal with British drinks company Diageo to promote the French vodka brand Cîroc.
In 2023, he released his fifth record, The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy Awards. He was also named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ attorneys end their defence case after only 20 minutes
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team rested their case in his sex trafficking trial on Tuesday after making arguments for only about 20 minutes.
Their short presentation followed nearly seven weeks of arguments and witness testimony brought by federal prosecutors in New York. The prosecution finished making their case Tuesday afternoon.
His defence attorneys argued that the government has failed to meet the burden in proving any of the charges against him, which he’s vehemently denied, and the judge should drop the case against him.
Mr Combs also confirmed to the court that he would not take the stand in his own trial. “It’s my decision with my lawyers” not to testify, he told the judge.
Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces up to life in prison if convicted in the scheme.
Speaking for the first time in court in weeks on Tuesday, Mr Combs told Judge Arun Subramanian that he was “doing an excellent job”.
“I want to tell you thank you,” the rapper told the judge.
Prosecutors have alleged Mr Combs used his celebrity status and business empire to run a criminal enterprise to sex traffic women and conceal his crimes. During their arguments, the government called more than 30 witnesses to the stand.
The defence called none, instead submitting into evidence several text messages between Mr Combs and his ex-girlfriends, singer Casandra Ventura, and another victim who testified under the pseudonym Jane.
It is always difficult for defence teams to decide whether to call any fact witnesses to the stand, said Mitchell Epner, a New York-based lawyer and former prosecutor.
Calling new witnesses can introduce more problems for the defence – and having Mr Combs take the stand would have been an even riskier move, hanging the case mostly on his testimony, Mr Epner said.
Instead, Mr Combs’ lawyers gave a quick presentation, showing messages in an attempt to bolster their argument that Mr Combs’ girlfriends were willing participants in sexual encounters with him and male escorts, which were called freak-offs.
In one text message to Mr Combs that his attorneys read aloud, Jane told him “I always have fun” during their freak-offs, or what she called “hotel nights”.
The quick defence case came after Mr Combs’ legal team filed a motion asking the court to acquit their client, claiming the government had not met their burden in proving any of the charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering.
His attorney Alexandra Shapiro argued that the victims in the case were capable women who could have left on their own accord, giving a hint of the points the legal team is likely to present during closing arguments scheduled later this week on Thursday and Friday.
Mr Combs was “regrettably violent, but domestic violence is not sex trafficking”, Ms Shapiro said.
Prosecutors have argued Mr Combs’ ex-girlfriends were coerced into unwanted sex acts with drugs, violence and other means.
Tyler Perry is sued for $260 million by actor Derek Dixon, who alleges sexual harassment and coercion during their work on ‘The Oval’ and ‘Ruthless’.
Source: BBC NEWS
Image courtesy: Getty Image
Hollywood producer and filmmaker Tyler Perry is facing a $260 million lawsuit filed by actor Derek Dixon, who accuses the mogul of sexual assault and exploitation during their work together on Perry’s TV series.
Dixon’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, alleges that Perry used his influence within the entertainment industry to create a coercive and sexually exploitative environment while Dixon was acting on *The Oval* and *Ruthless*. According to the complaint, Perry promised Dixon a successful acting career but then subjected him to escalating sexual harassment, assault, and professional retaliation when Dixon did not reciprocate Perry’s unwanted advances.
Perry’s legal team has dismissed the allegations, describing the lawsuit as a “scam” aimed at financial gain. “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than a setup,” Perry’s attorney Matthew Boyd told the BBC. “Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims will not hold up in court.”
The lawsuit states that Dixon first met Perry in 2019 at a Tyler Perry Studios event in Atlanta, and over several months, they discussed Dixon’s aspiring acting career. The complaint alleges that Perry made numerous sexual comments and advances, which Dixon repeatedly rejected.
The suit claims Perry offered Dixon roles in ‘Ruthless’ and ‘The Oval’, but allegedly warned Dixon that if he ignored Perry or refused his sexual innuendos, his character would “die” in the next season. It further alleges that Perry kept this threat over Dixon’s head, implying his character “Dale” would survive only if Dixon kept Perry “happy.”
Dixon alleges that Perry sexually assaulted him in a set trailer on ‘The Oval’, pinning him against a wall and groping him after interrogating him about his sexual interests. Dixon claims he refused the advances and left the trailer.
Faced with ongoing harassment, Dixon said he decided to leave his role on ‘The Oval’ and declined a writing opportunity from Perry to escape the alleged misconduct.
