BBC.In the 1970s, Bean found success as a Motown singer, working with legends like Dionne Warwick, Sammy Davis Jr., and Miles Davis.
Bean, an out gay man, gave up his singing career after being asked to croon love songs about women.After Motown, Bean worked to create LGBTQ+ inclusive churches in the U.S.
and throughout the Caribbean. Bean led the Unity Fellowship Church Movement, becoming the liberal denomination's founding prelate.
In a statement announcing his death, the church wrote, “Archbishop Bean worked tirelessly for the liberation of the underserved and for LGBTQ people of faith and in doing so, helped many around the world find their way back to spirituality and religion.” The church noted his extensive activism, including.