Broadway Star and Influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford Dies at 46

Former Broadway performer and social media influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford has passed away. He was 46.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the news that early this morning, we bid farewell to the most wonderful man, husband and Papa imaginable,” Bret’s husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford, wrote in a Saturday, January 3, statement via their “Broadway Husbands” Instagram page. “Bret Hanna-Shuford left this world peacefully, surrounded by love and his family. Our hearts are shattered, but we will strive to make him proud.”

Bret, who is survived by Stephen and their 3-year-old son Maverick, received a diagnosis of T-Cell Lymphoma last year. (T-Cell Lymphoma, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that can develop in lymphoid tissues, such as the lymph nodes and spleen.)

“It’s officially been a month since visiting the hospital and undergoing a series of [misdiagnoses] before discovering that I have T-Cell Lymphoma,” Bret wrote via Instagram in September 2025. “It’s been a difficult journey that finally feels like there’s a solution. It’s going to be a lengthy recovery, longer than I even anticipated.”

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Bret spent time at a local hospital while receiving treatment, including chemotherapy, this fall.

“Happy Thanksgiving! So grateful that we got to spend some time together today with papa at the hospital,” Stephen wrote via Instagram in November 2025. “We are hopeful about his new treatment.”

Weeks later, Stephen visited Bret to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

“We are so appreciative of your love and support,” they wrote in a joint post last month. “Looking forward to a new year and hope to see you all soon.”

After announcing Bret’s death, numerous members of their theatrical community expressed their condolences.

“This news is absolutely heartbreaking and I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss,” Busy Philipps wrote via Instagram comment on Saturday. “You both have brought such light and beauty and humor into the world and I’m just sending you and your family so much love and my deepest sympathy.”

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Sharna Burgess, for her part, said that she was “devastated” to hear of Bret’s passing.

“I am devastated hearing this. I am so incredibly sorry. Sending you and Maverick so much love and courage and strength,” Burgess, 40, replied. “You are an extraordinary human and father and husband and Maverick is so lucky to have you with him. Brett will always be with you.”

Beanie Feldstein, Michael Buckley, Ryan Ratelle, Keiko Lynn and Kara Lindsay also offered their support in the comments section.

“Oh my heart just broke into a million pieces,” Broadway vet Lindsay, who battled stage II breast cancer in 2024, wrote. “Bret, you are so loved and will be missed here on earth. Praying for you, Stephen, and your sweet son. I’m so very sorry for your loss.”

Playwright and director Tim Federle also recalled working with Bret in their early careers.

“Endless silly costumes and inside jokes with the amazing @bretshuford, who we’ve lost but will never be forgotten,” Federle, 45, wrote via his Instagram Stories on Saturday. “We were dancing fish together and understudies and dressing roommates, and he left a lasting impression on many hearts.”