After Gavin Creel’s Tragic Death, Jonathan Groff’s Heartwarming Anecdote About How Gavin Inspired Him To Publicly Come Out As Gay Has Resurfaced Online

“His light encouraged others to shine even brighter.”

By
Stephanie Soteriou
by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

On Monday, Gavin Creel’s publicist, Matt Polk, confirmed that the stage and TV star had tragically died from a rare form of cancer at the age of 48.

Gavin Creel stands in front of a red backdrop featuring the text "2NDSTAGE" and "MOTHER PLAY." He is wearing a dark button-up shirt with a floral pattern
Variety / Variety via Getty Images

Gavin was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma in July, and died in his home in New York. 


After news of his passing broke, many fans took to social media to pay their respects to the esteemed star, who won the Best Featured Actor in a Musical Tony award back in 2017 for his performance in Broadway’s Hello, Dolly!.

And in addition to people remembering Gavin’s standout roles from over the years, a heartwarming anecdote shared by his ex-boyfriend Jonathan Groff has also started circulating online.

Jonathan Groff in a classic dark suit and white shirt at a Tony Awards event
Jenny Anderson / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

For context, Jonathan first found Broadway success in 2006, when he originated the role of Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening, for which he earned his first Tony nomination.


Speaking to Interview magazine in May of this year, Jonathan revealed that he “was in a closeted relationship with a guy” throughout his tenure on the show.


Shortly before they broke up, Jonathan came out to his friends and family, but it was not until he started dating Gavin a year and a half later, in the fall of 2009, that he decided to publicly come out as gay. 

“I was in love and dating Gavin Creel, and he had organized these buses of artists from New York to go to Washington, D.C. for the Marriage Equality March on Washington,” Jonathan told Interview earlier this year.

Gavin Creel and Jonathan Groff smile together at an outdoor event. Both wear Broadway Impact t-shirts and necklaces.
Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic

“And a woman from Broadway.com was there interviewing people, and she said: ‘Who do you represent at this March on Washington?’” he went on. “I froze. I hadn’t even thought about coming out as a public person. She was like: ‘Oh my god, never mind. I’m so sorry.’ And then she moved along.”


“I really remember this moment of looking over to the right and seeing Gavin,” Jonathan recalled. “He had also just recently come out a year or two before, and seeing him with a bullhorn corralling the people, god, I was so in love with him. I was like: ‘Oh my god, I am coming out. I’m coming out. I’m coming out.’”


“So I went back over to her, and I was like: ‘Hi, please excuse my hesitation, I’m gay,'" he shared. "And that was how I came out publicly at the March on Washington for Marriage Equality.”

Jonathan’s quotes have resurfaced after Gavin’s death, with one X user sharing screenshots of the interview alongside the caption: “Thinking of Jonathan Groff’s story about how his relationship with Gavin Creel gave him the strength to come out publicly.”

Gavin Creel wearing a floral-patterned shirt smiles at the camera
Dave Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images

The tweet has since gone viral, racking up thousands of likes, comments, and retweets.


Reacting to the post, one person wrote: “It’s really beautiful how we all just need that one person to give us permission to be our full authentic self. I’m glad Jonathan had that and was given the strength he needed in that moment.”


“i cant help but think about jonathan today, too. like, that man he's the reason why he's out and proud. he must be devastated,” somebody else tweeted.


“This. This is the common theme of Gavin stories today. How his light encouraged others to shine even brighter. What an unfathomable loss,” another user added.


While somebody else concluded: “Every story I read about Gavin is bringing me to tears.”

Gavin’s family has requested that any gifts in Gavin's memory be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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