Broadway Actor and Educator John Grisetti Dies by Suicide at Age 44

John Grisetti, a Broadway performer and head of the musical theatre program at Cal State Fullerton, died at age 44, The Independent reported. His death was by suicide. Rob McClure, who starred with Grisetti in the Broadway musical Something Rotten!

And served as his best man, announced the death on Instagram. McClure wrote that the loss was just a cataclysmic loss and added that he was not ready to even attempt to understand. He stated that Maggie and I are beyond heartbroken and that communities around the world will never be the same without him.

Sierra Boggess, who appeared with Grisetti in the 2015 Broadway production It Shoulda Been You, posted a tribute on her official Instagram account. She wrote that he created light and thought and humor everywhere he went and described him as a brilliant actor and director and writer whose students were lucky to have him as their teacher.

Grisetti left the production of Legally Blonde that he was directing in Italy just days before his death, citing personal reasons.

In his final Instagram post he paid tribute to the cast and crew, wished them luck on opening night, and said he was literally crying on the plane home. , and raised in Southwest Virginia, Grisetti earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Boston Conservatory in 2004. His stage credits included It Shoulda Been You and Something Rotten!

On Broadway, and he appeared on television in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He is survived by his wife of six years, Mackenzie, an LA-based realtor. Grisetti also taught at Fullerton College and Loyola Marymount University.

In a 2016 interview Grisetti encouraged actors to pursue international work, saying under the right conditions it is a thrilling way to see the world and experience new cultures while doing what you love.