Bret Hanna-Shuford, ‘Wicked’ and ‘Little Mermaid’ Broadway Actor, Dies at 46

Bret Hanna-Shuford, best known for his turn on Broadway in both “Wicked” and “The Little Mermaid,” has died of complications associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and T-cell lymphoma. He was 46.

News of Bret’s death was confirmed Saturday by his husband Stephen Hanna-Shuford on Instagram.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that early this morning we said goodbye to the most amazing man, husband and Papa in the universe,” Stephen wrote. “Bret Hanna-Shuford left this world peacefully with love surrounded by his family. Our hearts are broken but we will continue to make him proud of us…”

In a 2016 interview with Fit For Broadway, Bret explained he knew he wanted to perform on Broadway “at a very young age.” As he shared, theater was a major part of his life. “I was driven to Musical Theatre and committed my life to doing it. After spending most of my childhood performing in every play and musical in the Golden Triangle of S.E. Texas, I attended Wagner College. Soon after I got my equity card from Paper Mill Playhouse. Eventually I booked my first Broadway show, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’. Since then I’ve toured, done film, television, and married Stephen Hanna.”

Bret married his husband, Stephen, in April 2011. Per the New York Times, the pair met in 2006 when Bret hosted a party that Stephen attended. The pair officially began dating in April 2007. “What was so amazing is, we’ve always been in these tumultuous relationships, with playwrights and musicians, so intense and dramatic,” Bret told the outlet. “But here there were no expectations. It was in your own time, whatever you need.”

Bret made his Broadway debut in a 2005 performance of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and joined the cast of “Beauty and the Beast” the same year. He was part of the original 2007 cast of “The Little Mermaid,” and his Broadway credits also include “Paramour” and “Wicked.”

More to come …

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