GAVIN CREEL, born on this date (d: 9/30/2024) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. Creel is best known for his work in musical theatre, for which he received two Tony nominations — for originating the role of Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie and for his performance as Claude in Hair — and an Laurence Olivier Award for originating the West End version of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon at Prince of Wales Theatre. He also played the role of Elder Price in US National Tour and on Broadway. He played Steven Kodaly in Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of She Loves Me, which premiered in spring 2016.

Born in Finlay, Ohio, Creel received his B.A. in Fine Arts in musical theatre at the Univeristy of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance in 1998. Creel was a regular on the LGBT RFamilyVacations cruise with Rosie O’Donnell. He was also one of the founders, with Rory O’Malley and Jenny Kanelos, of Broadway Impact, an LGBT activist group. He was an alumnus of Findlay First Edition Show Choir.

In 2021, Creel performed two shows of a self-described ‘concert-cal’ called Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, for which Creel was commissioned to write and perform the book, music, and lyrics by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In December 2022, two industry readings of Walk on Through were held at Pershing Square Signature Theatre Center. Creel spoke at length about working on this piece before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It had its world premiere Off-Broadway in November 2023, running from November 2023 to January 2024.

Creel died in September 30, 2024 of metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, which Mr. Creel learned he had in July 2024. He is survived by his partner, Alex Temple Ward.

Theaters in Toronto, the West End and on Broadway announced that they would dim their lights as a tribute to Creel. Initially, only one-third of Broadway’s 41 theaters planned towards dimming their lights in honor of Creel, but after public outcry, the tribute was announced to be extended to all Broadway venues. In London, a candlelight vigil was held in Creel’s memory at the Actors’ Church in Covent Garden on October 6, 2024, with the lights dimming on the four West End theaters he performed in on December 3, 2024. The New York City public memorial service was held at the St. James Theatre on December 2, 2024, with contributions by Gavin’s family, colleagues, and members of the Broadway community. This was followed by the dimming of the lights on December 3, 2024.