close
close

Tony Award winner and Broadway star was 48

Gavin Creel, a veteran Broadway actor best known for his performance in Hello, Dollie!has died. He was 48 years old.

The star’s publicist told the story The Associated Press that Creel died at home in New York after a two-month battle with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma. According to Mayo Clinic, the rare form of cancer starts in the nerves that run from the spinal cord into the body.

Born and raised in Findlay, Ohio, Creel toured and did regional work as a young adult before landing his first major role as Jimmy Smith in Broadway’s Thoroughly modern Millie. He also portrayed Claude Hooper Bukowski in the Public Theater revival Her in 2009. Creel won an Olivier Award in 2014 for his role as missionary Elder Price in The Book of Mormonstarring in the show’s first national tour and in London’s West End.

Discover

Discover

View the latest videos, charts and news

View the latest videos, charts and news

Notably, in 2017, he starred opposite Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce as Cornelius Hackl in the popular 2017 revival Hello, Dollie!for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He was previously nominated for Best Actor in a Musical in 2002 and 2009 Thoroughly modern Millie And Herrespectively.

Creel also worked in television, playing Bill in 2003 Eloise on the Plaza And Eloise at Christmas time. He spoke to Matthews Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure and appeared on Ryan Murphy’s American horror stories like Troy.

Following the news of his death, Lin Manuel-Miranda revealed on social media that Creel was his first king at the time, George III Hamilton workshop, noting that he “wrapped the audience around his finger with nothing but a Burger King crown and his stunning charisma and talent.” Manuel-Miranda added: “He is so loved and it is unimaginable that he is no longer with us.”

Idina Menzel echoed the sentiment, writing on Instagram: “Dear sweet Gavin Creel. An angel among angels. I love you so much.”