Broadway vets react to Tony-winning star Gavin Creels death at 48: Bette Midler, Sutton Foster and more

The Great White Way is mourning Gavin Creel. Broadway stars reacted to the news of the Tony-winning actor’s death at just 48 on Monday, sharing their grief and shock. Creel’s partner announced his death, revealing the young star of shows such as “Hair!” and “Hello, Dolly!” died of metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer which he was diagnosed with in July.Sutton Foster, who starred alongside Creel in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” for which Creel earned his first Tony nomination, mourned the late star in a post on Instagram.“My sweet friend.I will love you forever,” Foster, 49, wrote.“Book of Mormon” star Josh Gad said he couldn’t find the “right words” to express his grief. “Sometimes, I don’t have the right words to describe my sadness,” Gad, 43, captioned a post on Instagram.

“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,” he added.

“This is just not fair.We will never forget you @realgavincreel.”Creel played the role of Elder Price in the first US tour and the West End tour of “Mormon.” Creel’s “Hello, Dolly!” costar Bette Midler also paid tribute to the late actor, who won a Tony for his work in the revival. “Beloved by the #Broadway community, the radiant actor #GavinCreel has died from a rare form of cancer,” Midler posted on X.

“He played Cornelius Hackl to my Dolly in ‘Hello Dolly’ and I looked forward to working with him every single night.He was fantastic.

I can’t believe he’s gone.What a loss.”“There are no words to describe this loss.

Gavin was my first role model, idol and hero,” fellow Tony-winner and star of “Dear Evan Hansen” Ben Platt said on his Instagram story on Monday. “He showed me around backstage after I saw my first Broadway show.I couldn’t believe...