Bret Hanna-Shuford, a well-known Broadway actor and influencer on Broadway Husbands, has died at the age of 46 after fighting aggressive hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).
Shuford was great in Broadway shows like Wicked, where he played Dr. Dillamond and the Wizard, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Amazing Grace, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He also acted in the Cirque du Soleil show Paramour, went on tour with South Pacific and Dreamgirls, and was on TV shows like Law & Order: SVU and soap operas like All My Children.
He and his husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford, ran the Broadway Husbands Instagram account, where they shared their lives as LGBTQ+ parents to their 3-year-old son Maverick in Orlando. Since Bret was diagnosed with cancer in 2025, the couple has openly shared his journey, and fans and the theater community have been very supportive.
Stephen posted on social media that Bret died peacefully on January 3, 2026, with family by his side. “Our hearts are broken, but we will continue to make him proud,” he wrote. A GoFundMe campaign started in 2025 helped pay for his medical bills while he was in the hospital for a long time over the holidays.
