Gavin Creel, Tony Award-Winning Broadway Star, Dies at 48 from an Aggressive Form of Cancer

Mar. 15, 2025

Gavin Creel at the afterparty for the ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ 15th anniversary reunion concert.Photo:Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Gavin Creel— the celebrated songwriter, singer and stage actor known for roles on Broadway inThoroughly Modern Millie,Hair,She Loves MeandHello, Dolly! —died on Monday, Sept. 30 at the age of 48 amid treatment for arare and aggressive form of cancer called sarcoma.

Metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcomais a rare cancer that develops in the body’s bones or soft tissues, such as muscles, fat, blood vessels and nerves. Creel was only diagnosed in July 2024. Before transitioning to hospice care at home, he was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

The actor’s family and close friends are asking for privacy while they grieve. They request that gifts in Gavin’s memory be made toBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

There will be a small private gathering for the family and a celebration of life will be held for the community at a date to be announced.

Gavin Creel performs during the 2019 Princess Grace Awards Galaon Nov. 25, 2019 in New York City.Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Creel was one of Broadway’s brightest stars and was beloved among his community of contemporaries, including close friends and costarsSara Bareilles,Andrew Rannells,Sutton Foster,Jane Krakowski,Aaron Tveit,Caissie Levy,Patti Murin,Colin Donnell,Will Swenson,Kate Baldwin, andJoshua Henry.

His soulful tenor voice, effervescent personality and handsome good looks helped him stand out among a sea triple threats. The out, gay actor also used his platform to advocate for racial equality, to call out sexual inappropriateness behind-the-scenes and to fight for LGBTQ rights — especially during the early days of the quest for marriage equality as co-founder of the grassroots organizationBroadway Impact(with Rory O’Malley and Jenny Kanelos).

A native of Findlay, Ohio, Creel feel in love with musical theater in his sophomore year of high school after nabbing a role in their production ofCamelot.

Gavin Creel and the cast of ‘Hair’ perform on the 2009 Tony Awards.Andrew H. Walker/Getty

Andrew H. Walker/Getty

“I thought, ‘I’m the luckiest man alive,’ " he recalled, of getting the job. “And from that, I started meeting people from that show, I started meeting their friends and their friends. And I started, just a little bit, feeling like there’s a place for me in all this. in this city.”

“It wasn’t he money, it wasn’t the job, even — what it is is the people. That’s what it is,” Creel added. “These buildings don’t have a heartbeat, these streets don’t have a heartbeat. It’s the people coming together to do something, say something, and then give it back.”

Fameled to more and more work Off-Broadway until Creel finally made his Broadway debut in 2002, starring opposite Foster in the stage musical stage adaptation of the 1967 filmThoroughly Modern Millie.

The performance, as Jimmy Smith, earned Creel his first Tony Award nomination. A second nomination came in 2009, for playing the role of Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival ofHair.

Gavin Creel kisses his Tony Award moments after winning it on June 2017.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

His first win came in 2017, after starring as Cornelius Hackl in the celebrated revival ofHello, Dolly!alongsideBette Midler,Beanie FeldsteinandDavid Hyde Pierce. He coincidentally received the award from Foster, who was presenting, calling it an “absolute dream come true.”

After accepting the trophy, Creel passed along his advice to actors aspiring to enter the musical theater industry, urging them to “get off social media.”

“Stop living a virtual life over an actual life,” Creel told reporters backstage, including PEOPLE. “Don’t disappear on your phone into a never-ending cycle of neurosis and anxiety. It’s the reason I’m off it completely, which is like, ‘Why am I anxious all the time?’ To be a theater actor, in this business, isn’t to look at yourself. It’s to look outward to an audience and to find the way to give to an audience. If you’re staring at yourself or cultivating a life on your phone, I would say get out of your phones and get on stage.”

Jane Krakowski and Gavin Creel of ‘She Loves Me’ perform onstage during 2016 Tony Awards.Theo Wargo/Getty

Theo Wargo/Getty

Creel had a number of other credits on Broadway, including the 2016 Tony-nominated revival ofShe Loves Me(with Benanti, Krakowski, and Zachary Levi), a run inWaitresswith Bareillis as well as the 2022 production ofInto the Woods, which transferred after an acclaimed run at New York City Center Encores! That show also won him a Grammy Award for best musical theater album.

From 2012 until 2015, Creel also led a series of productions ofThe Book of Mormon —from the first national tour to the original West End production (which won him the 2014 Laurence Olivier Award, the most prestigious theatrical awards in the United Kingdom) to even Broadway.

Among his on-screen credits included two episodes of FX on Hulu’sAmerican Horror Storiesopposite Matt Bomer and Sierra McCormick.

As a singer-songwriter, Creel produced a number of original albums and EPs. He appeared on a number of musical theater compilation albums, was a staple of Broadway concert and was a regular on theLGBT RFamilyVacationscruise with Rosie O’Donnell.

Gavin Creel takes a bow after ‘Into the Woods’ at New York City Center on May 2022.Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Bruce Glikas/WireImage

His last stage role was deeply personal — a musical he penned and starred in calledWalk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, that ran Off-Broadway at the MCC Theater from November 2023 to January 2024.

It’s something Creel opened up about in a candid interview withThe Daily Beastpublished in December 2023, in which he revealed that he learned over the years not to base his happiness on industry success.

“I won the Tony Award, and I thought, ‘Something’s going to change for me.’ It didn’t,” Creel said, confessing that “the phone did not ring” with offers. “The bloom fell off the rose a little bit. New people come in and replace you. The cycle of the business meant I couldn’t love it any more. I knew the industry could not be everything. I couldn’t source my happiness from it because it doesn’t have a heartbeat. It doesn’t ultimately care about me.”

Another topic explored in the musical was the influence of religion on Creel’s life, and the path towards his acceptance of God.

“I believe I am blessed,” Creel added. “I don’t fear God any more. I feel as if I am collaborating with Him.”

Gavin Creel in ‘The Book of Mormon’.Copyright Joan Marcus 2012

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As for the future, Creel toldThe Daily Beasthe was hopefulWalk on Throughhad a long future ahead.

“With this show I am doing the most creative thing I have ever been part of in my life, and I hope it leads to more opportunity,” Creel said. “That’s what I want. I want the show to go to Broadway, for it to have a beautiful run on Broadway where thousands of people see it, then tour it to the West End, then Australia and the world. I want to be able to serve others with it.”

source: people.com