Gavin Creel is a Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran of Hello, Dolly! According to his representatives, the waitress and the Book of Mormon are dead. He is 48 years old. Creel's partner, Alex Temple Ward, confirmed the actor's death, Creel's spokesman Matt Polk told CNN. Creel died Monday at his home in Manhattan. Polk's obituary reads: “As an award-winning Broadway star, he brought irrepressible energy, passion and boundless energy to his roles on stage, while devoting time offstage to advocacy and community building.
Creel was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of sarcoma in July 2024 and was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, the obituary said. A native of Findlay, Ohio, Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, which earned Creel his first Tony Award nomination for Best Performance in a Play.
He then became a highly regarded stage star known for his comedic and dramatic roles in many major Broadway and West End productions. In 2009, Creel played Claude Hooper in the Broadway revival of Bukowski's Hair, for which he received his second Tony Award nomination. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon.
In 2017, Creel made her acting debut in the remake of Hello, Dolly! " won his first Tony Award as Cornelius Huckle. He starred in the show with Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce.
In his acceptance speech, Creel thanked the musical theater department at his alma mater, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, and said the education he received there "changed my life forever as a young man."
"Ted Lasso" star Hannah Waddingham, a seasoned stage actress, wrote on Instagram on Monday that she was "devastated" by the news of Creel's death. "My heart feels very heavy for you tonight my friend. I am so sorry you were taken so soon. As long as I have breath, I will never forget you.
Creel played Dr. Pomatter in the 2019 Broadway production of Sara Bareilles' Waitress and reprized the role in the West End in 2020. Creel's obituary called Bareil his "friend and kindred spirit."
In 2022, Creel and Bareilles worked together again, co-starring in the Broadway production of Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods.
"Gavin lived a life filled with joy, integrity, humor, wit and grace. His sparkling presence and generous nature will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. Creel is survived by his mother Nancy Clemens Creel and father James William Creel, his sister Ward and his dog Nina.
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