Samuel E. Wright, best known as the voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid franchise, has passed away at age 74.
The news was announced via the Town of Montgomery Facebook page which reports news in Montgomery, NY where Wright lived at the time of his death. They had this to say:
“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. On top of his passion for the arts and his love for his family, Sam was most known for walking into a room and simply providing PURE JOY to those he interacted with. He loved to entertain, he loved to make people smile and laugh and he loved to love.”
In addition to his role in 1989’s The Little Mermaid, along with its sequels and spin-offs, Wright had a prolific career apart from this as well. Within The Walt Disney Company, he appeared as Mufasa in the original Broadway production of The Lion King and also as the character of Kron in 2000’s Dinosaur. His final role was once again as Sebastian in 2008’s The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning.
Outside of Disney, Wright appeared in several other Broadway musicals and plays as well including Jesus Christ Superstar (his Broadway debut) and Pippin.
In 1994, Samuel, along with his wife Amanda and Pamela A. Murphy, founded the Hudson Valley Conservatory, which provides acting, music, and dance classes in the Hudson Valley area. The school is still going strong today.
Here at The DisInsider, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family including his wife Amanda, and their three children.
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