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Broadway Performer and 'Broadway Husbands' Co-Founder Bret Hanna-Shuford Dies at 46

A summer 2025 diagnosis of HLH with CD30-negative peripheral T-cell lymphoma left few therapies, leading to months in the hospital.

Overview

  • His husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford, announced his death early Jan. 3 on the Broadway Husbands Instagram account, noting he died peacefully surrounded by family.
  • He is survived by Stephen and their three-year-old son, Maverick, after a widely followed health battle the couple documented online.
  • Doctors treated him for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis linked with aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma, and reports noted his CD30-negative status reduced targeted treatment options.
  • He spent the fall and winter holidays in the hospital, at one point unconscious in the ICU for three days, and he paused graduate studies at the University of Central Florida after the family’s move to Orlando.
  • A GoFundMe organized by friend Scott Barnhardt raised more than $300,000 as Broadway colleagues and fans offered support, while tributes highlighted his credits in Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and other stage and screen roles.