Ashman was initially reluctant to agree to work on Beauty and the Beast because he had just recently been diagnosed with AIDS. Additionally, he had already begun writing songs for Aladdin (1992). Ashman's health began deteriorating soon after he completed The Little Mermaid.
Initially, Ashman was reluctant to work on Beauty and the Beast because he had just been diagnosed with AIDS. Concurrently, he had begun writing music for Aladdin (1992). Soon after finishing The Little Mermaid, Ashman's health began to deteriorate.