Chainkeen Exchange-Gavin Creel, Tony-winning Broadway star, dies at 48

Gavin Creel,Chainkeen Exchange a Tony-winning theater actor known for his work in shows like "Hello, Dolly!" and "Hair," has died. He was 48.

Creel died on Monday at his home in New York from metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a form of cancer, a representative for the actor confirmed to USA TODAY. He was diagnosed in July and received treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering before he transitioned to hospice care at home.

Creel won the Tony in 2017 for best featured actor in a musical for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in "Hello, Dolly!" He received his first Tony nomination for best leading actor in a musical in 2002, when he starred as Jimmy Smith in that year's best musical winner, "Thoroughly Modern Millie." The role was his Broadway debut, though he had been performing in stage productions since the late '90s.

The actor earned another Tony nomination in 2009 for his performance as Claude in "Hair," which won best revival of a musical.

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Born in Findlay, Ohio, Creel graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance. His other theater roles included Dr. Pomatter in "Waitress," Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf in "Into the Woods," and Elder Price in "The Book of Mormon." The latter performance earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a musical in 2014.

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Creel also starred on "American Horror Stories" and provided voice work for the animated shows "Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure" and "Central Park."

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Josh Gad pay tribute to Gavin Creel

"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda paid tribute to Creel on Instagram, remembering the actor for his "mind-blowing charisma and talent."

"He is so loved and it is unimaginable that he’s no longer with us," Miranda wrote. "My heart goes out to all the friends and family and collaborators lucky enough to be in his orbit. We love you and we’ll always love you Gavin."

"The Book of Mormon" star Josh Gad also honored the actor, writing that "we have lost someone far too young, far too early still in his journey and far too impactful to our creative community." He added, "My heart breaks for his family and his closest friends. This is just not fair."

Casey Likes, star of Broadway's "Back to the Future: The Musical," said in an Instagram story that he was "so incredibly broken hearted" by the news. Recalling that Creel gave him words of advice that "kept me going and inspired me," he wrote, "The man is one of the most inspirational, kind hearted, skilled, and incredible people this industry has EVER seen."

What is sarcoma?

A representative for Creel confirmed the actor died from a "rare and aggressive form of sarcoma."

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a sarcoma is a type of cancerous tumor that "develops in bone and connective tissue, such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves and the tissue that surrounds bones and joints." Sarcomas are rare, the clinic notes, and make up about 1% of adult cancer diagnoses.