Broadway performer and social media influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford died January 3, 2026, at the age of 46, following a battle with rare and aggressive forms of cancer. His husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford, announced the news on their joint Instagram account, Broadway Husbands, where the couple had documented their lives as gay parents and advocates for LGBTQ+ families.
“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.”
Hanna-Shuford had been diagnosed in the summer of 2025 with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and T-Cell Lymphoma, rare conditions that posed significant health challenges. The diagnosis came in August after what the couple described as many weeks of uncertainty, misdiagnoses and countless medical visits. A GoFundMe campaign created to help cover medical bills and household expenses raised over $320,000 from supporters.
On Christmas Day, Hanna-Shuford posted from his hospital bed, expressing gratitude to supporters and optimism for the new year ahead.
Born May 20, 1979, in Beaumont, Texas, Hanna-Shuford built an extensive career in musical theater. He graduated from Wagner College’s theater program in 2001 before launching into professional performance work. His Broadway debut came in Beauty and the Beast, marking the beginning of a career that would span multiple major productions.
Hanna-Shuford’s Broadway credits included performances in Wicked, The Little Mermaid, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Amazing Grace and Cirque Du Soleil Paramour. His work extended beyond the stage, with appearances in film and television including The Wolf of Wall Street, Only Murders in the Building, All My Children and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The Broadway community represented a significant part of Hanna-Shuford’s life, both professionally and personally. He met his husband Stephen in 2007. The couple married in 2011 and welcomed their son Maverick in 2022.
Together, the couple created Broadway Husbands, a social media presence that grew to millions of views across platforms including YouTube, Instagram and their podcast. Through their content, they documented their journey as parents and as advocates for LGBTQ+ families. The platform allowed them to connect with audiences beyond the stage, building a community around their experiences.
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis is a rare immune condition in which the body’s immune system becomes overactive, attacking healthy tissues and organs. T-Cell Lymphoma is a cancer that affects T lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in the immune system. Together, these conditions presented formidable medical challenges requiring intensive treatment and hospitalization.
In recent years, Hanna-Shuford had begun shifting his professional focus. The family relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he began graduate studies at the University of Florida, pursuing his dream of one day becoming a Disney Imagineer.
The move to Orlando represented a new chapter for the family, combining Hanna-Shuford’s longstanding connection to Disney with his theatrical background and creative vision. Themed entertainment design represents a specialized field that blends architecture, storytelling and immersive experience creation, skills that aligned with his performance background.
Hanna-Shuford’s creative work extended to children’s literature. He authored the children’s book Good Night, Break a Leg, which will be published posthumously in summer 2026. The description characterizes it as a lyrical, rhyming picture book following a little boy whose dads are Broadway performers.
The announcement of Hanna-Shuford’s death brought an outpouring of condolences from the theater community and beyond. Members of the Broadway community, including performers from current productions, shared their memories and support on social media.
Throughout his illness, the couple had maintained their connection with fans and supporters through social media updates. Their transparency about the diagnosis, treatment challenges and emotional toll of serious illness resonated with followers who had come to know them through years of shared content. The GoFundMe campaign they established demonstrated the breadth of support they had built through their advocacy work and artistic contributions.
Broadway performers often build careers that span decades, moving between shows, taking on different roles and evolving as artists. Hanna-Shuford’s career trajectory reflected this pattern, from his debut in Beauty and the Beast through various Disney productions and eventually to more dramatic works. Each production requires months of rehearsals, eight shows per week during runs and the physical and emotional stamina to maintain performance quality over extended periods.
The Broadway Husbands platform had given Hanna-Shuford and his husband a way to share their experiences navigating parenthood as a same-sex couple, documenting daily life with their young son. Their openness about challenges and joys alike made them relatable figures to many families, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.
Hanna-Shuford is survived by his husband Stephen, their son Maverick, his parents Preston and Deanna, and his brothers Todd, Eric and Bart. A private gathering for family will be held in Orlando, with a public celebration of life planned for a later date.
