Tony Award-winning Broadway star Gavin Creel passes away months after sarcoma diagnosis

Broadway actor Gavin Creel, 48, passed away on Monday, September 30, after a battle with a rare form of cancer. Creel, known for his award-winning roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, and the recent revival of Into the Woods, succumbed to metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, just two months after his diagnosis in July.

His partner, Alex Temple Ward, confirmed Creel's death. After receiving treatment at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering, Creel transitioned to hospice care at home, where he spent his final days.

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Gavin Creel's celebrated Broadway journey

Gavin Creel received a Tony Award for portraying Cornelius Hackl in the 2017 production of Hello, Dolly! opposite Bette Midler. Critics highly praised Creel's portrayal, with The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney remarking that Creel's voice had "never sounded sweeter."

Gavin Creel got his start on Broadway in 2002, where he starred as Jimmy Smith in the hit show Thoroughly Modern Millie. This performance got him his first Tony nomination. In 2009 he was in a revival of Hair and for that role, he received a Tony nomination yet again and thus put himself in the zone of the top musical theatre performer.

During this production, Creel also became a prominent advocate for marriage equality, co-founding the nonprofit Broadway Impact with Rory O’Malley and Jenny Kanelos.

Gavin Creel's most recent Broadway appearance was in the 2022 revival of Into the Woods, where he played Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf alongside Sara Bareilles. Earlier, he had performed with Bareilles in Waitress, and the two became close friends.

Creel also showcased his versatility with his off-Broadway project Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, a musical he wrote and composed based on his experience with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gavin Creel's West End career included roles in Mary Poppins as Bert in 2006 and reprising his role in the West End transfer of Hair in 2010. He won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing Elder Price in The Book of Mormon, which he performed in both the West End and on Broadway.

Creel's other significant Broadway roles include Jean-Michel in the 2004 revival of La Cage aux Folles and Steven Kodaly in the 2016 revival of She Loves Me. He was a fixture in the Broadway community, known for his boundless energy, resonant voice, and commitment to social justice.

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Early life and career beginnings

Gavin James Creel was born on April 18, 1976, in Findlay, Ohio. He discovered his love for musical theater at a young age, inspired by his elementary school teacher, Nancy Glick. Creel performed his first solo, Gary, Indiana from The Music Man, which ignited his passion for the art form.

Creel completed his high school education at Findlay High School in 1994 after which he took his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

He attended voice teacher Melody Racine and developed close friendships with classmates, Celia Keenan Bolger as examples; together, they created the Activist Artist Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Michigan. He also often returned to Michigan to teach and pass on the skills to young talents too.

Gavin Creel is survived by his partner, Alex Temple Ward, his parents, Nancy Clemens Creel and James William Creel, his sisters, Heather Elise Creel and Allyson Jo Creel, and his dog, Nina. A private funeral service will be held, with a memorial planned for a future date. In honor of his legacy, his family has requested that contributions be made to Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

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