Broadway Performer Bret HannaShuford Dies at 46

Bret HannaShuford, a veteran Broadway performer and social media influencer known for his roles in productions like Wicked and The Little Mermaid, died early Saturday morning in Orlando, Florida. He was 46.

His husband, Stephen HannaShuford, announced the news on Instagram, writing, "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. Bret HannaShuford left this world peacefully with love surrounded by his family. Our hearts are broken but we will continue to make him proud of us." The couple shared their family life on the Broadway Husbands Instagram account, which has more than 255,000 followers and chronicled their experiences as gay parents to their three-year-old son, Maverick.

HannaShuford had been diagnosed last summer with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, two rare and aggressive conditions that overactivate and compromise the immune system, leading to severe inflammation, organ damage and blood cancer. The diagnoses came after weeks of uncertainty, misdiagnoses and numerous medical visits, just as the family had settled into a new home...