Gavin Creel, Tony Award-winning Broadway star, passes away at 48

Gavin Creel, a Broadway veteran and Tony Award winner for ‘Hello, Dolly!’ opposite Bette Midler, passed away on September 30 at 48 from a rare and aggressive form of cancer, metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma.

Publicist Matt Polk confirmed that Creel died at his Manhattan home, having been diagnosed in July 2024.

Midler expressed her grief on X, writing, ‘I looked forward to working with him every night. He was fantastic. I can’t believe he’s gone. What a loss.’

Idina Menzel shared a tribute on Instagram, posting a photo of Creel and calling him a ‘sweet, sweet Gavin Creel, an angel among the angels.’

Known for his talent in Golden Age Broadway revivals, Creel also took on modern roles, including Dr. Pomatter in Sara Bareilles' Waitress on Broadway in 2019 and the West End in 2020. He also won an Olivier Award for his performance in The Book of Mormon.

Lin-Manuel Miranda fondly recalled on social media that Gavin Creel was the first to play King George III during the early workshops of Hamilton, noting, ‘He wrapped the audience around his finger with nothing but a Burger King crown and his mind-blowing charisma and talent. He is so loved, and it’s unimaginable he’s no longer with us.’

Raised in Findlay, Ohio, Creel graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 1998. He found his breakout role as Jimmy Smith in Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie alongside Sutton Foster. Other notable roles included Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles (2004) and Claude in Hair (2009), earning high praise from critics.

Creel shined in The Book of Mormon, winning an Olivier Award for his role as Elder Price in London’s West End in 2014. He later won a Tony Award for his role as Cornelius Hackl in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!

Creel was a prominent advocate for marriage equality and co-founded the nonprofit Broadway Impact. Offstage, he appeared in films like Eloise at the Plaza and TV shows, including American Horror Stories. He is survived by his parents, sisters, and his partner, Alex Temple Ward.

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