Tony-winning Broadway star Gavin Creel died Monday after a short battle with an aggressive, rare form of cancer. He was 48.

Creel was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma in July and was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, according to a representative for Creel, who confirmed his death to NBC News.

Creel’s career on Broadway lasted twenty years. He made his Broadway debut as Jimmy Smith in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in 2002, a role that earned him his first Tony nomination. He went on to star in “Hair,” which also earned him a nod, “La Cage aux Folles,” “She Loves Me,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Waitress,” according to his website. He took home a Tony Award in 2017 for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in the Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!”

The actor, known for his energetic physical performances, also won a Grammy in 2023 for the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” and the Olivier Award in 2014 for his performance as Elder Price in “The Book of Mormon .”

Many in the theater community – including “Hello Dolly!” co-star Bette Midler, original “Wicked” star Kristin Chenoweth and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda – expressed their shock and sadness over the news on social media, describing Creel as a beloved legend.

“Gavin Creel was our first King when we only had eleven songs and he wrapped the audience around his finger with nothing but a Burger King crown and his stunning charisma and talent,” Miranda wrote in his Instagram post. “He is so loved and it is unimaginable that he is no longer with us.”

Book of Mormon alumni Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells also mourned Creel in messages.

“We lost someone far too young, far too early in their journey and far too impactful for our creative community. My heart breaks for his family and his closest friends,” Gad wrote on Instagram. “This is just not fair.”

“We lived big, exciting lives at times, but the moments when we were happiest, the moments when we were most ourselves, were the quiet moments,” Rannells wrote. “We called each other ‘Soulmate’ or ‘Soulie’ for short. It was a joke that became a nickname that, in some ways, became a truth that made us both smile when we said it. My heart feels incredibly empty today. I know I’m not alone in this feeling because once again, everyone fell in love with Gavin.

Sutton Foster, who played the opposite role of Creel in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” posted a photo of the two on Instagram and wrote, “My dear friend. I will love you forever.”

Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS, described the late actor as “not just one of the good guys, but the best.”

The philanthropic organization, where Creel served on the Board of Trustees, provides resources to people affected by life-threatening diseases such as AIDS and Covid-19.

“In addition to the dazzling talent that Gavin Creel shared with all of us on stage, he mastered the ability to energize, mobilize and inspire others by sharing the best of himself, which was simply his loving, joyful heart,” said Viola in a statement.

The Shubert Organization, the oldest professional theater company in the United States, wrote on X that “the lights on Broadway will shine a little less” after Creel’s death.

SAG-AFTRA, the actors union of which Creel was a member, said in his post that one of “Broadway’s brightest lights has left us.”

The Story Behind the Tony Awards called Creel’s death a “devastating loss.”

His “extraordinary talent, kindness and passion lit up the stage and our hearts,” the show wrote in the X post, sharing the star’s acceptance speech.