Gavin Creel, most known for his iconic performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, She Loves Me, and Hello, Dolly, passed away the young age of 48. The Broadway star battled an aggressive form of cancer, as confirmed by his partner Alex Temple Ward. The passing of Gavin Creel has left the Broadway world in shambles.
Gavin briefly battled metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, which he was diagnosed with in July. Gavin was being treated at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center prior to being transferred to hospice care in his home.
Gavin’s Impact
Gavin’s career spanned over 20 years, who made a major impact on many other actors and actresses. Josh Gad, known for his iconic role as Olaf in the hit Frozen franchise, took to Instagram to mourn the passing of Gavin Creel:
“Sometimes, I don’t have the right words to describe my sadness. Today is one of those days. We have lost someone far too young, far too early still in his journey and far too impactful to our creative community. My heart breaks for his family and his closest friends. This is just not fair. We will never forget you.”
Grammy award winner Andrew Rannells took to Instagram in a similar fashion:
“I fell in love with Gavin Creel in 1998 the moment I met him. I was certainly not alone in my instant affection for him. Everyone fell in love with Gavin.” “We called each other “Soulmate” or “Soulie” for short. It was a joke that became a nickname that, in some ways, became a truth that made us both smile when we said it. My heart feels incredibly empty today. I know I’m not alone in this feeling because again, everyone fell in love with Gavin.”
Creel displayed his talents mostly in the New York theater community. He was even seen last winter called “Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice”. This performance was founded on the love for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This performance displayed not only his physical and vocal agility, but his charisma and curiosity as well.
Gavin’s Career
Creel’s Broadway career began with his performance as a suave salesman in “Throughly Modern Millie”. His role as Jimmy Smith earned him his first ever Tony nomination. His second Tony nomination came from his role as Claude in “Hair. Finally, his award winning Tony came from his role in Hello, Dolly.
Here was Creel’s reaction to winning the award from San Francisco Chronicle:
“The Tony really felt like a hug from the community I’ve been in for 20 years. That feels good. I can literally do nothing else in my life and I’m still a Tony winner. I will never not have done that.”
The passing of Gavin Creel at the young age has been a profound loss for the Broadway community as a whole. His long career, highlighted by iconic performances and numerous accolades, displayed his incredible talent.
