Creel played Steven Kodaly in the 2016 production of "She Loves Me" at Studio 54. The following season, Creel was tapped for the role of Cornelius Hackl, opposite legends Midler and David Hyde Pierce, in the smash 2017 revival of "Hello, Dolly!" directed by Jerry Zaks, winning the Tony for best featured actor in a musical.

His Hello Dolly! co-star, Bette Midler wrote on X/Twitter: “Beloved by the Broadway community, the radiant actor Gavin Creel has died from a rare form of cancer. 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.”

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