His husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post on Saturday. He said Bret passed away peacefully, surrounded by love and family.
“Early this morning we said goodbye to the most amazing man, husband, and Papa in the universe,” Stephen wrote. “Our hearts are broken, but we will continue to make him proud of us.”
Last summer, Hanna-Shuford was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, along with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a serious immune system condition. After his diagnosis, a close friend, Scott Barnhardt, organized a GoFundMe to help cover medical expenses. The fundraiser raised more than $300,000.
Following Hanna-Shuford’s death, Barnhardt asked for continued support for Stephen and the couple’s 3-year-old son, Maverick, and thanked supporters for standing by the family during Bret’s illness.
Born in 1979, Bret Hanna-Shuford discovered his love for performing at a very young age. He wrote on his website that movie musicals inspired him even before kindergarten. By the age of 5, he knew he wanted to sing and dance on stage after seeing children perform at a local library. Soon after, he began performing himself.
Hanna-Shuford went on to build a successful career in theater. He appeared on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, both produced by Disney Theatrical. During that time, he met his future husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford.
His stage career also included roles in Wicked, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, and Amazing Grace.
On screen, Hanna-Shuford appeared briefly in The Wolf of Wall Street and had roles in television shows including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Only Murders in the Building, and The Good Fight. He also provided voice work for the popular video game Red Dead Redemption 2.
Together, Bret and Stephen ran the Instagram account Broadway Husbands, where they shared their lives as performers, spouses, and parents. Hanna-Shuford was also a trained life coach and ran a YouTube channel aimed at helping young actors navigate the entertainment industry.
“As a kid from small-town Texas, I could never have imagined being part of an Oscar-nominated movie or a Tony-nominated show,” he once wrote. “I wanted to show others that fulfillment in this career is possible.”
At the time of his illness, Hanna-Shuford was working toward a graduate degree at the University of Central Florida but paused his studies to focus on treatment.
He is survived by his husband, Stephen, and their young son, Maverick.
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