TV and Broadway star Gavin Creel died at the age of 48 on September 30, 2024, from a "rare and aggressive cancer" as per his publicist Matt Polk. The star was best known for his role in Hello Dolly!
Weeks after his death, Broadway actor Norbert Leo Butz slammed Zachary Levi for implying anti-vax remarks relating to Creel's death in a pro-Trump rant on his Instagram live. In the rant, Levi can be heard saying,
"I know that this is going to offend some people and make some people mad, and I wish it didn't. So, a few weeks ago, my friend Gavin Creel died. He was 48 years old, and he was one of the healthiest people I knew."
While talking about his cause of death, Levi called his "rare and aggressive cancer" a "turbo cancer" and speculated that it "came out of nowhere." He also went on to add,
"You better believe that, with everything in me, I believe that if these COVID vaccinations were not forced on the American public, that the theaters weren't pushed and leveraged -
The actor paused before saying he holds "people at the top" responsible.
While responding to Levi's speculations Norbert Leo Butz wrote,
"So incredibly disappointed you would politicze Gavin's death. Really tried to give you the benefit here. Made it halfway throughm which was hard as hell. But was utterly heartbroken, as he would have been, that you felt the need to use his life and legacy to promote this awful platform."
Broadway stars react to Zachary Levi's speculation surrounding Gavin Creel's die
After Zachary Levi's rant on his Instagram live where he speculated the COVID-19 vaccine to be the reason behind Broadway star Gavin Creel's death went viral, many other Broadway stars took to social media platforms to bash the actor.
In the comments section of Levi's Instagram post, Wicked alum Jenna Leigh said that "Gavin deserved better" and alleged that Levi has "flown so far from decency and sanity." Ellyn Marsh recalled Levi and Creel's 2016 Broadway revival and noted, "You were the worst part of She Loves Me."
Other stars such as Broadway publicist Lisa Goldberg, and photographer Evan Zimmerman also slammed the actor. Zachary Levi is known to be a proud Trump supporter and has been vocal about his support. In a September 28 rally in Michigan, the star endorsed the Former U.S. president while calling his support an act of "career suicide."