A public memorial service has been set for late Broadway star Gavin Creel.
Family and friends will honor the Tony Award-winning actor at an event to be held at the St. James in New York on Monday, December 2 at 4 p.m. local time.
The names of the performers have not yet been announced, but the monument will be open to the public. Those interested in receiving reception details are asked to email their name and contact information to: [email protected].
It is suggested that donations in Creel’s memory be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
In addition to the memorial, every theater on Broadway in New York will dim its lights on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:45 pm in honor of Creel and his impact on the international theater community.
Gavin Creel, Tony Award-winning Broadway star, dies at 48 of aggressive form of cancer
Gavin Creel performs at the 2019 Princess Grace Awards Gala on November 25, 2019 in New York City.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Audra McDonald says it should be done Gypsy Came from friend Gavin Creel before his death
Creel was a celebrated songwriter, singer and stage actor known for his roles on Broadway in the A thoroughly modern Millie, She loves me, Hello Dolly! and Hairamong other things.
He died on September 30 at the age of 48 amid treatment for metastatic melanotic sarcoma of the peripheral nerve sheath, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in the body’s bones or soft tissues, such as muscles, fat, blood vessels and nerves.
He was diagnosed in July 2024 and was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York before being transferred to hospice care, where he died with his loved ones, including his partner, actor Alex Temple Ward.
After his death, many members of the Broadway community spoke of their love for Creel, including close friends and former cast members Bette Midler, Sara Bareilles, Josh Gad, Andrew Rannell, Audra McDonald, Will Swenson, Sutton Foster, Patti Murin, Colin Donnell, Caissie Levy, Kate Baldwin, Beanie Feldstein, Donna Murphy, Joshua Henry. Aaron Tveit, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
Broadway community ‘shattered’ by Gavin Creel’s death at 48: ‘We lost someone too young’
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Gavin Creel and the cast of ‘Hair’ perform during the 63rd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2009 in New York City.
Andrew H. Walker/Getty
“Anyone who ever met Gavin remembers a moment (or many) when he made them feel seen and special. A moment (or many) when they basked in his reflected glow. A moment (or many) when that glow reached their hearts and stayed there forever,” Laura Benanti, Tony Award-winning Creel actress She loves meshe wrote on Instagram. “Gavin was the brightest light in any room. Long may he shine.”
“There are no words to describe this loss,” Tony winner Ben Platt said in a post on his Instagram. “Gavin was my first role model, idol and hero. He took me backstage after I saw my first Broadway show. I couldn’t believe that someone so preternaturally talented could also be the favorite human being of every single person in the building. I wanted to sing like him and be like him.”
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Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Colman Domingo called Creel a “sweet man” in a social media post, adding that the actor is “funny and kind.”
We will all miss him, Domingo wrote. “He made Broadway so great. My heart aches for everyone who loved him. … Give him a standing ovation and throw roses. He was good.”
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