Broadway legend Gavin Creel – the celebrated singer, songwriter and stage actor – has died at the age of 48.
Creel was known for Broadway roles in shows including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, She Loves Me and Hello, Dolly! and he also appeared on TV series American Horror Stories.
He was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma in July. His death was confirmed by his partner Alex Temple Ward via his publicist Matt Polk, and was caused by cancer.
The Book of Mormon actor died of a metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma – a very rare form of cancer which attacks the body’s soft tissues.
Before going into hospice care at home, the Tony Award-winning actor was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Born in Findlay, Ohio, Creel studied at the Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance and swiftly established himself as a Broadway stalwart of mammoth talent.
Creel performed on Broadway for two decades, debuting with a bang in the early 2000s when he received a Tony nomination for his role as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
He received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly! and was also nominated for his role in Hair.
For his portrayal of Elder Price in the satirical Book of Mormon, Creel received an Olivier Award and he also appeared on London’s West End in Mary Poppins and Waitress.
Just last winter Creel showed off his signature tenor voice and physical agility in the show he wrote and performed Off Broadway called Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, about how The Met Museum inspired him.
On TV, Creel is best known as starring as Troy in Ryan Murphy’s series American Horror Stories, and he played Bill alongside Julie Andrews in Eloise at the Plaza, and Eloise at Christmastime.
He was also an established songwriter, having written the original music for Walk on Through, and he has released three original albums: GoodTime Nation, Quiet, Get Out and a single called Noise, which raised money for marriage equality.
Many have taken to social media to pay tribute to Creel, as The Tony Awards wrote: ‘Today, we mourn the devastating loss of Tony Award winner Gavin Creel, whose extraordinary talent, kindness, and passion lit up the stage and our hearts.’
Fan @sunsetdreamsmog said: ‘genuinely devastated gavin creel was one of the greatest men in contemporary musical theatre.’
@suhosoda wrote: ‘the greatest there ever was, the incomparable gavin creel, the singular most generous, beautiful, kind man i ever had the luck to meet. so stupendously talented, it took your breath away.’
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