Samuel E. Wright Dies, Voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid Was 74 Samuel E. Wright Dies, Voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid Was 74 Actor and singer Samuel E. Wright, who voiced Sebastian the crab in The Little Mermaid, has died at the age of 74. Samuel E. Wright, the actor and singer whose voice was heard by millions as Sebastian the crab in The Little Mermaid, has passed away. The news was broken by the official Facebook page for Wright's hometown of Montgomery, New York, per TMZ. A cause of death wasn't revealed, but the Town of Montgomery honored Wright with a statement included with the post. He was 74 years old.