Tony winner Gavin Creel, known for performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, The Book of Mormon and many more, passed away September 30 after a battle with cancer. He was 48. The news was confirmed by his partner, Alex Temple Ward.

Mr. Creel was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma in July 2024, and underwent treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering before transitioning to home hospice care.

Mr. Creel was a fixture of the theatrical community, noted for versatile acting performances in a career that saw him often alternate between comedy and drama, leading man and character actor. But performing was only one facet of Mr. Creel's life. Blessed with a virtuosic voice in every sense of that word, Mr. Creel also used his gifts as a skilled writer to be a devoted activist for the theatre community.

Born April 18, 1976 to parents Nancy (Clemens) Creel and James William Creel, Mr. Creel grew up in Findlay, Ohio. Along with frequent sing-alongs with his piano-playing music teacher grandmother, Mr. Creel found his love of Broadway from an elementary school teacher, Nancy Glick, who gave him his first solo with The Music Man's "Gary, Indiana." He would go on to graduate from the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre in 1998. 

After working in regional theatre for a time and performing in the national tour of Fame, Mr. Creel made his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002—the musical opened on his 26th birthday. His performance earned him his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.

Mr. Creel would go on to star in a multitude of Broadway shows after his breakthrough performance, including Hair, for which he received his second Tony nomination; La Cage aux Folles; She Loves Me; The Book of Mormon; Waitress; and Hello, Dolly!—the latter of which earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor. Mr. Creel also starred in West End runs of The Book of Mormon, Mary Poppins, and Waitress. For his performance as Elder Price in the original West End production of Mormon, Mr. Creel received an Olivier Award for Best Actor. 

His most recent stage role was starring as Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf in the 2022 revival of Into the Woods, first at New York City Center Encores! and later in the production's Broadway transfer and North American national tour.

On screen, Mr. Creel appeared in the films Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, the filmed version of She Loves Me, and FX's spin-off American Horror Stories, among other film and television credits. 

But Mr. Creel was a multi-faceted artist—along with being a talented actor, he was also an accomplished songwriter. Over his career, he released two full albums, Goodtimenation and Get Out; an E.P., Quiet, which reached number 44 on Billboard's list of Top Heatseekers; and two singles, "Noise (Equality Now)" and "Whitney Houston." He was a devoted activist, co-founding Broadway Impact with Rory O'Malley and Jenny Kanelos in 2009 during the fight for marriage equality. Mr. Creel donated all of the proceeds raised from the sales of Noise to support the group. He also founded a scholarship fund with best friend and fellow Michigan alum Celia Keenan-Bolger aimed at supporting students engaging in social justice causes while at school.

His final stage performance was in Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice. Mr. Creel was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to create a musical inspired by the institution. With a book, music, and lyrics by Creel, Walk On Through was developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's 2022 National Music Theater Conference before making its world premiere Off-Broadway at MCC Theater in 2023. With a series of original songs set to a journey through the museum and engaging with its collection, Mr. Creel gave audiences a look inside his own existential crisis, how he'd gotten to where he was at the time, and what kept him moving forward.

When Mr. Creel discussed Walk On Through with Playbill at the time, he explained that the show illustrated how the idea that we are all alone is actually the one thing that connects us all universally. "The one thing that binds us all together is the one that separates us all," he said. "Even a twin pops out alone before the other twin. Even if we are both in a car that careens off a cliff, one of us is going to hit first and go out first. If you can accept that you are alone in this world, then you can accept that you are not.” While in the interview, Creel pointed to the tattoo on his wrist, the word “both,” inked in simple lowercase typeface. “Both things can be true at the same time,” he added. “Those are both sides of me. There’s the me that only sees dark and shadows; then there’s the me who’s like, ‘There’s so much possibility and hope.’"

Mr. Creel is survived by partner Ward, mother Nancy Clemens Creel, father James William Creel, sisters Heather Creel and Allyson Creel, sister-in-law Jennifer Kolb, and dog Nina. Mr. Creel's family is requesting donations be made in his memory to Broadway Cares. 

Plans for a community celebration of life are forthcoming.

"Today we lost not just one of the good ones, but the best one," reads a statement from Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola. "Beyond the shining talent Gavin Creel shared with us all onstage, he mastered the ability to galvanize, mobilize, and inspire others by sharing the best of himself which was simply, his loving, joyful heart.

"Gavin once said: 'What I love about being in the theatre is the sense of family and belonging to a community that takes care of one another. We are made better by giving back.'

"Gavin certainly lived by example. His selfless resolve to channel his talents and gifts into tangible, lifesaving help challenged us to be better, do more and rise up, always with a smile that was welcoming, flirty, and just a tad mysterious with some kind of surprise.

"Gavin was one of the most vibrant voices in our National Grants Program committee meetings and on our Board of Trustees, on which he served since 2015. His was an undeniable light that leaves a heartfelt glow across our theater community and in the lives of countless people he never met, who have received meals, medication, support, and hope through his work with Broadway Cares.

"I remember watching Gavin leap onto the theatre lobby bar with a Red Bucket in hand during the national tour of The Book of Mormon, enthusiastically cajoling, encouraging and convincing audiences into making a donation. He implored people to donate with such cheerful passion. He’d enlist anyone he spoke to do more, to make a greater impact—always returning to the question, 'Why wouldn’t we help people?'

"Last spring, Gavin hosted Broadway Cares’ donor celebration Hats Off to You. Before jumping into a performance of 'Trouble' from The Music Man, he stepped back and reflected on his connection to Broadway Cares.

"'The world at the moment is fractured, and it feels to me like it’s falling apart,' he said. 'Broadway Cares is one of the things that I look to as a light on the horizon.' As we now will forever look to him.

"At the Easter Bonnet Competition in April 2015, Gavin—then starring in The Book of Mormon on Broadway—sang our anthem, “Help Is on the Way,” in a way that had never been heard before or since. His voice was a gentle, brilliant beacon of activism that offered hope for many. His heartsong will be a part of our lives forever, especially when it reminds us to reach out with hope and beyond ourselves with love."

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Celebrating Gavin Creel's Career On The Broadway Stage

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