Gavin Creel, Broadway star known for “Hello, Dolly!” and “Waitress,” dies at age 48

CNN
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Gavin Creel, a Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran known for his work in productions of “Hello, Dolly!” “Waitress” and “The Book of Mormon,” has died, according to his representative. He was 48.

Matt Polk, a representative for Creel, told CNN that the actor’s death was confirmed by Creel’s partner, Alex Temple Ward. Creel died Monday at his home in Manhattan.

“An award-winning Broadway star, he brought irrepressible drive, passion and boundless energy to his onstage roles, while dedicating his time offstage to advocacy and community building,” Polk’s obituary said.

According to the obituary, Creel was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma in July 2024 and was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Creel, a native of Findlay, Ohio, made his Broadway debut in 2002 when he played the role of Jimmy Smith in the stage production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” a performance that earned Creel his first-ever Tony Award nomination in the Best performance was by an actor in a leading role in a musical category.

He became a celebrated stage star, known for his comedic and dramatic roles in many major Broadway and West End productions.

In 2009, Creel received his second Tony nomination when he appeared as Claude Hooper Bukowski in the Broadway revival of “Hair.” He won a 2014 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon.

Creel won his first Tony in 2017 for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in the revival of Hello, Dolly! He starred in the production alongside Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce.

During his acceptance speech, Creel thanked the musical theater department at his alma mater, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, saying that his education there “forever changed my life as a young person.”

“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,” the official Tony Awards X account wrote in a tribute to Creel on Monday.

Creel played the role of Dr. Pomatter in Sara Bareilles’ “Waitress” in the 2019 Broadway production and reprized the role in London’s West End in 2020. Creel’s obituary called Bareilles his “friend and kindred artistic spirit.”

In 2022, Creel and Bareilles teamed up again when they appeared alongside each other in the Broadway production of Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods.”

“Gavin lived his life with joy, integrity, humor, wit and grace. His radiant presence and generous spirit will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him,” the obituary reads.

Creel is survived by his mother Nancy Clemens Creel and his father James William Creel, his sisters Ward and his dog Nina.