The Broadway community is “in shock” over the death of beloved actor Josh Grisetti at age 44. On July 12, 2026, two of his dear friends — Sierra Boggess, Broadway’s original Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” and Tony nominee Rob McClure — announced that Grisetti, who was also a series regular on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” had died by suicide two days earlier, on July 10.
“It is with the deepest grief that I am sharing with you that our beloved friend Josh Grisetti took his own life on Friday morning,” Boggess wrote in her heartbreaking post. “Nothing I can say will make this hurt any less. We all loved him so unbelievably much. He created light and thought and humor everywhere he went.”
Josh Grisetti’s Best Man, Fellow Actor Rob McClure, Called His Death a ‘Cataclysmic Loss’
Grisetti became a New York theater fan-favorite in 2008, according to Theatre Mania, when his role in the off-Broadway musical “Enter Laughing” earned him a Theatre World Award and nominations for Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Drama League honors.
He made his acclaimed Broadway debut in 2015 as Marty Kaufman in the musical “It Shoulda Been You,” the outlet reported, and later played Nigel Bottom in “Something Rotten!” on Broadway and on its national tour. In 2021, he also began teaching the next generation of theater stars as associate professor and head of the BFA Musical Theatre program at California State University, Fullerton.
Boggess, who co-starred with Grisetti in “It Should Have Been You,” wrote in her tribute that he “was a BRILLIANT actor and director and writer” and that their show’s cast and crew “was as close as can be and this is so heartbreaking I will be processing with the show family and all of you for a very long time.”
Meanwhile, McClure wrote in his tribute, “It is with a shattered heart that I share that the brilliant Josh Grisetti took his own life on Friday. I’m not ready to even attempt to understand.”
Calling Grisetti’s death a “cataclysmic loss,” McClure, who was the best man at Grisetti’s wedding to his wife Mackenzie, continued, “My heart is with his wife and family as they try to deal with the reality of this. Some of my all-time favorite memories were by this man’s side, playing his brother onstage for years, watching him inspire students while transforming the Musical Theatre program at Cal State Fullerton …and having the honor of being the Best Man at his wedding.”
Broadway Stars & Theater Students Express Shock Over Josh Grisetti’s Death
In McClure’s tribute, he wrote that in the wake of Grisetti’s death, “Communities around the world will never be the same without him.”
Many echoed that sentiment in the comment sections of his and Boggess’s posts, including a theater student who wrote, “This is so unbelievably devastating. Josh helped pull me out of one of the deepest, darkest periods of my life and I will forever be grateful for everything he did for me and to try and make CSUF a better place. I was very lucky to be one of his students. May his memory be a blessing and so much love to everyone his light touched.”
The Broadway community is also reeling from the news. “American Idol” alum and Broadway star Constantine Maroulis wrote, “Absolutely gutted. Met him first in our @bostonconservatory days and loved watching him share his incredible gifts with the world over the years… eternal be his memory ✨”
Longtime Broadway star Kate Rockwell, commented, “I can’t figure this out. He was such a bright light.”
Broadway and television actor Josh Lamon wrote, “Omg, I’m in total shock. All my love to you both and to his family”
McClure and Boggess wrote in their posts that a celebration of life for Grisetti will be announced at a later date.
