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Tony-winning Broadway star Gavin Creel dies at 48.

Gavin Creel, the Tony Award-winning star known for his roles in Broadway musicals such as “Hello, Dolly!” and “Hair,” passed away on Monday in Manhattan, as confirmed by his partner. He was 48.

Creel’s death was attributed to metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer he was diagnosed with in July. Despite his illness, he continued to perform until December, when he took his final bow in the experimental musical “Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice” at MCC Theater.

Born on April 18, 1976, in Findlay, Ohio, Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002, starring as Jimmy in Jeanine Tesori’s musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” alongside Sutton Foster at the Marquis Theatre. During the previews, a knee injury temporarily took him offstage, leaving him to watch his understudy perform nightly. "I felt like a jealous ex-boyfriend," Creel admitted in an interview. "I was thinking, ‘I don’t want you up there with her.’ It was like I’d fallen in love with her." After recovering, he returned to deliver his standout performance, singing "What Do I Need With Love?" and earning his first Tony nomination.

Creel’s talent for musical comedy led to a series of notable roles, including parts in “La Cage Aux Folles,” “The Book of Mormon,” “She Loves Me,” “Waitress,” “Hello, Dolly!,” and, more recently, “Into the Woods.” Beyond Broadway, he shone internationally, appearing in London’s West End as Elder Price in “The Book of Mormon” and as Claude in “Hair,” a role he had also played on Broadway. He took part in Stephen Sondheim’s “Bounce” (later known as “Road Show”) at Chicago’s Goodman Theater in 2003.

In 2017, Creel finally took home a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Cornelius Hackl in “Hello, Dolly!” starring Bette Midler, cementing his legacy as one of Broadway’s most beloved and talented performers.