Broadway Mourns Its Beloved Gavin Creel: “We Lost Our Prince”; Bette Midler, Casey Likes, Alex Edelman Among Those Paying Tribute

Greg Evans
·7-min read

REFRESH FOR UPDATES: Today’s shocking news of the cancer death of stage star Gavin Creel has left Broadway reeling and in deep mourning. “We lost our prince,” wrote New York City Center, where Creel turned in a for-the-ages performance in the delightful 2022 revival of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical Into The Woods.

“I looked forward to working with him every single night,” tweeted his Hello, Dolly! star Bette Midler. “He was fantastic. I can’t believe he’s gone. What a loss.”

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Sutton Foster, who co-starred with Creel in 2002’s Thoroughly Modern Millie, wrote on Instagram, “My sweet friend. I will love you forever.”

Among the more poignant remembrances pouring onto social media comes from Casey Likes, the young star of Broadway’s Almost Famous and Back to the Future.

In a heartfelt post on social media, Likes writes, “absolutely crushed. Gavin came to almost famous and that is where we met. I was in a very rough place as that show was closing and his words of advice kept me going and inspired me the past two years of being a performer. We always said we would do something together. Our last conversation was his kindness after he saw back to the future. I thanked him for how much his words saved me 2 years ago. The man is one of the most inspiration, kind hearted, skilled and incredible people this industry has EVER seen.”

In a follow-up message, Likes writes, “I thanked gavin creel for basically saving my life and inspiring me to continue performing and this was his response: ‘So happy you are happy and in it. and I look forward to see you in the show when i get some time. keep going and keep enchanting audiences. we are lucky to have this time to do this work. lucky life.”

See those posts, along with others, below. Deadline will add additional tributes as they arrive…

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Marc Shaiman, composer and lyricist: “Gavin Creel was a true angel on earth, and now that angel has taken up residence elsewhere. We met when he was in the ensemble of a HAIRSPRAY reading way back in the day, and he sang countless demos for Scott Wittman & I…I saw Gavin in London once, at a moment in my life when I was VERY despondent, and he held me close and talked me off the emotional ledge and I won’t ever forget his kindness that day, and every other day. He was a bright light and his passing, at 48, is unfathomable. RIP Sweet Gavin.”

Harvey Fierstein, actor and playwright: “Sweet, funny, gorgeous and loving with a honey-voice and impish glint in his eye… Gavin Creel died today at only 48. An unspeakable loss for Broadway. My heart goes out to his loved ones.”

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“There are no words to describe this loss. Gavin was my first role model, idol and hero,” Ben Platt wrote in his Instagram Stories. “He showed me around backstage after I saw my first Broadway show. I couldn’t believe someone that supernaturally talented could also be every single person in the building’s favorite human being. I wanted to sing just like him and be just like him.”

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