Who Was Gavin Creel? All About Tony Award Winning Actor As He Dies At 48

Here’s everything you need to know about Gavin Creel who sadly passed away at the age of 48 on Monday. Read ahead to know more.

Updated on Oct 01, 2024  |  11:26 AM IST |  7.8K
Gavin Creel (CC: Getty images)
Gavin Creel (CC: Getty images)

Gavin Creel, who was an acclaimed stage and screen actor, tragically passed away at the age of 48 on September 30, Monday, battling metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma,  per HuffPost.

The above-mentioned cancer is a rare one, which he was diagnosed with in July. The news of his passing was confirmed by his partner Alex Temple Ward to The New York Times via theater publicist Matt Polk.

Creel, who was born in Findlay, Ohio, completed his college education at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater & Dance in 1998. He made a debut on Broadway opposite Sutton Foster four years after graduating.

The duo starred in Thoroughly Modern Millie, which garnered him his first Tony nomination. After this, he also starred in She Loves Me, Into The Woods, Waitress, and Hair.

Creel’s performance in the London production of The Book of Mormon portraying Elder Price was widely praised, for which he also received an Oliver Award (the British equivalent of a Tony) in 2014. He then also went on to grab a Tony in 2017 for his brilliant performance on Hello, Dolly! Which also starred Bette Midler, per the outlet.

However, Creel’s career trajectory wasn’t just limited to his theater performances. He expanded it by also venturing on-screen. He appeared in Eloise At The Plaza and its second part, Eloise At The Christmastime. The actor was featured in Hulu’s American Horror Story’s spinoff, American Horror Stories, in which he had a supporting role.

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Apart from his extensive career, he also contributed a lot to the LGBTQ+ community. In 2009, he started Broadway Impact with actor Rory O’Malley and producer Jenny Kanelos. which promoted same-gender marriage.

During this time, Creel asked the producers of Hair to cancel a performance, so he and his co-stars could take part in the LGBTQ rights march in Washington DC, per the publication’s article.

His last Broadway performance was reportedly Into The Woods in 2022 and his last New York stage performance was in Walk On Through: Confessions Of A Museum Novice, which is a semi auto-biographical musical that was penned down by him.

His former co-cator, Foster took to her Instagram to share a tribute post in which she wrote, “My sweet friend. I will love you forever.”


Midler also took to her X handle, remembering the late star, and wrote, “Beloved by the #Broadway community, the radiant actor #GavinCreel has died from a rare form of cancer. He played Cornelius Hackl to my Dolly in “Hello Dolly,” and I looked forward to working with him every single night.  He was fantastic.  I can’t believe he’s gone.  What a loss.”

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Creel truly will not be forgotten for his impressive talents on stage and also for his extensive contribution towards the queer community.

ALSO READ: Chris Martin Announces THIS Album To Be Coldplay’s Last; Says It’s ‘Important We Have That Limit’

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