Actor and musician Gavin Creel, who made his mark on Broadway and starred in the American Horror Story series, has died aged 48.
Creel was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare form of cancer in July.
HIs passing as drawn tributes from some of the biggest names on Broadway. Bette Midler, who appeared with Creel in the Broadway revival of Hello Dolly said she looked forward to working with the actor every night.
“I looked forward to working with him every single night. He was fantastic. I can’t believe he’s gone. What a loss,” Midler said on social media platform X.
Idina Menzel shared a photo of Creel on Instagram alongside a message that read ““Sweet sweet Gavin Creel. An angel among the angels.”
Josh Gad, who appeared alongside Creel in The Book of Mormon said he was heartbroken upon hearing the news.
“Sometimes, I don’t have the right words to describe my sadness. We have lost someone far too young, far too early still in his journey and far too impactful to our creative community,” Book of Mormon star Josh Gad wrote on Instagram. “My heart breaks for his family and closest friends. This is just not fair.”
While many will recognise Creel for his role as Troy Winslow in American Horror Stories, his first love was musical theatre. He worked his way up through the ranks appearing in repertory theatre and regional productions.
In 1998 he joined a touring production of the musical Fame and by 2001 was appearing in the off-Broadway production Bat Boy: The Musical and took part in the workshops for Spring Awakening.
His Broadway debut came in 2002 when he played Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie opposite Sutton Foster. It saw him score his first Tony nomination for Leading Actor is a Musical. Today Foster joined those paying tribute to his life and career posting ““My sweet friend. I will love you forever.”
He played Prince Eric as Disney workshopped their production of The Little Mermaid, worked in the original Chicago production of Stephen Sondheim’s Bounce, which later had its title changed to Road Show. He recorded the cast album for Bright Lights, Big City and made his screen debut in the film Eloise at the Plaza where he played Bill.
Over the next few years he appeared in many musicals including a 2004 revival of La Cage aux Folles on Broadway, and made his West End debut in Mary Poppins. In 2009 he played Tommy in a Broadway production of Hair, and it earned him a second Tony nomination.
From 2012 until 2015 he appeared in several productions of The Book of Mormon playing Elder Price. He was the first to perform the role in the West End and it earned him a Best Actor in a Musical trophy at the Laurence Olivier Awards.
In 2017 he won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical when he appeared alongside Midler in the acclaimed production of Hello Dolly. More musicals would follow including Waitress and Into the Woods. Last year he performed his own show Walk Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice which featured songs he’d written.
Creel was also a prominent LGBT rights activist who mobilised the Broadway community to campaign for marriage equality. GLAAD released a statement praising Creel’s advocacy efforts.
“We’re devastated to hear about the passing of Gavin Creel, the out actor and Broadway star who delighted audiences throughout the years. He was a co-founder of Broadway Impact, an advocacy group that mobilized the New York theatre community in the pursuit of marriage equality.
“In 2010, Creel accepted the Special Recognition Award for Hair at the GLAAD Media Awards. Our hearts go out to everyone who knew and loved him.” the group said.
In previous interviews Broadway star Jonathan Groff has shared that Creel inspired him to come out when the pair were dating back in 2009. Creel was in a relationship with Alex Temple Ward at the time of his passing.
