Late star Samuel E. Wright's last wish comes true
May 28, 2021
Washington [US], May 28 : American actor-singer Samuel Edward Wright, the man behind the voice of Sebastian's character in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid', died on Tuesday and one of his last wishes just came true.
On Tuesday, after the news of Wright's death broke, Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre honoured him with a large scintillating hoarding in his memory, and his daughter revealed to TMZ that it was one of the last wishes of her father.
Wright's daughter Dee told TMZ that the veteran actor always joked with the family, "When I go, I want my name up there!" referring to the theatre marquees.
Dee further told that the family is actually in good spirits, which she says may seem odd but it is a testament to his joy and positivity.
Wright's last rights and public wake will be held on Friday in Walden, New York for fans to come and show their love, reported TMZ.
Wright who brought life to one of the most loved characters 'Sebastian' from the legendary 1989 Disney film, has also provided the lead vocals to The Little Mermaid's 'Kiss the Girl' and 'Under The Sea' song. Both the songs were nominated for Oscars and hence 'Under The Sea' bagged the accolade for Best Original Song in 1990.
Wright continued to work with Disney as the voice of Sebastian in 'The Little Mermaid' sequels and a TV series, and also lent his voice in the 2000 movie, 'Dinosaur' for the character of 'Kron the Iguanodon'.
He also played Dizzy Gillespie in the 1988 biographical film about Charlie Parker. Wright also played the part of Mufasa in the original cast of 'The Lion King on Broadway'.
He was also known for his theatre work, appearing in musicals like 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'Pippin' and for originating the part of Mufasa for the Tony-award winning 'Lion King' musical.
Before lending his voice to some of the famous fictional characters, Wright worked for more than a decade as an actor with roles on 'Enos', 'All My Children' and 'The Cosby Show', 'Bird'.
He died at the age of 74 of prostate cancer, which he was diagnosed with three years ago.
