Samuel E. Wright, Voice Of Sebastian In ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Passes Away At 74
Two-time Tony-nominated actor Samuel E. Wright, who voiced the Trinidadian-accented crab named “Sebastian” in the 1989 film ‘The Little Mermaid,’ has died at 74. On Monday evening (May 24), Wright peacefully passed away at his home in Walden, New York after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife, Amanda (they would’ve made 49 years in June), and their children, Keely, Dee and Sam.
While Wright’s daughter Dee confirmed the news, the announcement first broke on the Town of Montgomery Facebook page (the hometown of Wright). They wrote, “Today, the Town of Montgomery mourns the loss of Sam Wright. Sam was an inspiration to us all and along with his family established the Hudson Valley Conservatory. Sam and his family have impacted countless Hudson Valley youth always inspiring them to reach higher and dig deeper to become the best version of themselves. He loved to entertain, he loved to make people smile and laugh and he loved to love.”
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In his role as “Sebastian,” Wright sang the contagious song “Under the Sea,” which won Best Original Song and Best Original Score at the Academy Awards, plus “Kiss the Girl,” which was also nominated for Best Original Song. Wright would go on to voice the character in ‘Disney’s House of Mouse, ‘Mickeypalooza,’ plus two DVD sequels of ‘The Little Mermaid.’ In addition to his legendary role as “Sebastian,” Wright also originated the Broadway role of “Mufasa” in ‘The Lion King.’ Elsewhere, a live-action reboot of ‘The Little Mermaid‘ is still in the works with Halle Bailey as “Ariel,” Queen Latifah as “Ursula” and Shaggy as “Sebastian.”
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