Gavin Creel Texted Jonathan Groff About Love Before He Died

Speaking at New Yorker Festival October 26, Jonathan Groff shared the bittersweet story of his last communication with Gavin Creelwhom he dated in 2009. They hadn't spoken in years, but exchanged text messages after Groff mentioned how Creel had positively impacted his life at June 2024 New Yorker interview. “A couple of days after the interview came out, I got a text message from Gavin Creel,” Groff said. New Yorker journalist Michael Shulman, who wrote the original article. “We dated 15 years ago. In the interview, I talked about how he changed my life and how this relationship changed the course of my existence.” After reading the quotes, Creel wrote to Groff: “I think now I know I mean as much to you as you mean to me.”

Groff said he and Creel continued to communicate “right up until Tony that year.” When Tony night arrived, Groff received the award for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in We're having fun riding. “He wrote me congratulations,” Groff said. “And that was the last communication we ever had.” Creel died of cancer just three months later, on September 24, 2024.

In the interview that led to Creel texting him, Groff recalled saying so publicly. Broadway.com in 2009 after the couple attended the March on Washington for Marriage Equality together. Groff recalled “looking at Gavin holding a bullhorn and directing people to march” and feeling inspired to come out. “I thought, I fucking love him,” he said. “I'm leaving.”

“I know you had no intention of closure with the guy I was dating who was going to die,” Groff told Shulman. “But I really thank you for this.”