Tony-winning Broadway star Gavin Creel died on Monday following a short battle with an aggressive, rare cancer. He was 48.
Creel was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma in July and was treated at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, according to a representative for Creel, who confirmed his death to NBC News.
Creel’s Broadway career spanned 20 years. He made his Broadway debut as Jimmy Smith in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in 2002, a role which earned him his first Tony nomination. He went on to star in “Hair,” which also landed him a nod, “La Cage aux Folles,” “She Loves Me,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Waitress,” according to his website. He took home a Tony award in 2017 for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in the Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!”
The actor, who was known for his high-energy physical performances, also won a Grammy in 2023 for the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” and the Olivier Award in 2014 for his performance as Elder Price in “The Book of Mormon.”
Many in the theater community — including “Hello Dolly!” co-star Bette Midler, original “Wicked” star Kristin Chenoweth and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda — expressed shock and sadness over the news on social media, describing Creel as a beloved legend.
“Gavin Creel was our first King when all we had was 11 songs and he wrapped the audience around his finger with nothing but a Burger King crown and his mind-blowing charisma and talent,” Miranda wrote in his Instagram post. “He is so loved and it is unimaginable that he’s no longer with us.”
“The Book of Mormon” alums Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells also mourned Creel in posts.
“We have lost someone far too young, far too early still in his journey and far too impactful to our creative community. My heart breaks for his family and his closest friends,” Gad wrote on Instagram. “This is just not fair.”
“We were living big, exciting lives at times but the moments we were happiest, the moments we were most ourselves, were the quiet ones,” wrote Rannells. “We called each other “Soulmate” or “Soulie” for short. It was a joke that became a nickname that, in some ways, became a truth that made us both smile when we said it. My heart feels incredibly empty today. I know I’m not alone in this feeling because again, everyone fell in love with Gavin.”
Sutton Foster, who played opposite of Creel in, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” posted an image of the two on Instagram, writing “My sweet friend. I will love you forever.”
Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS, described the late actor as “not just one of the good ones, but the best one.”
The philanthropic organization, where Creel was a member of the Board of Trustees, provides resources to those affected by life-threatening illnesses like AIDS and Covid-19.
“Beyond the shining talent Gavin Creel shared with us all onstage, he mastered the ability to galvanize, mobilize and inspire others by sharing the best of himself which was simply, his loving, joyful heart,” Viola said in a statement.
The Shubert Organization, the oldest professional theater company in the United States, wrote on X that the “lights on Broadway will shine a little less” after Creel’s passing.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors union which Creel was a member of, said in its post that one of “Broadway’s brightest lights has left us.”
The account behind the Tony Awards called Creel’s death a “devastating loss.”
His “extraordinary talent, kindness, and passion lit up the stage and our hearts,” the show wrote in its X post, sharing the star’s acceptance speech.
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