Broadway star Gavin Creel has died at 48

This is such incredibly sad news – incredibly.

Via Broadway World: Broadway and West End performer and writer Gavin Creel died today. He was 48 years old. Gavin was diagnosed with cancer in July 2024 and underwent treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering for a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma. His passing was confirmed by his partner Alex Temple Ward.

“The thing about theatre is that it never goes away. How cool is that?” Creel said in a 2019 interview when he joined the cast of Waitress. “[Shows] will close and new shows will come in and tell new stories, but they will never be gone.” As the community mourns his loss, we also celebrate his incredible impact and echo his sentiments.

Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002, originating the role of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which he received his first Tony Award nomination, Creel went on to star in the Broadway productions of Hair (Tony Award nomination), La Cage Aux Folles, She Loves Me, The Book of Mormon, and Waitress.

He received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler.

I was able to see Greel perform live for the first and only time last year at the Ahmanson Theatre when he was one of the stars of the national tour of Into the Woods.

Huge, heartbreaking loss.