Key Points
Theater and TV star Josh Grisetti died by suicide on July 10 at age 44.
Grisetti’s death was confirmed by actor Rob McClure, who described himself as “beyond heartbroken” on social media.
Grisetti was a prolific stage actor, having received multiple Drama Desk Award nominations for his performances in productions like It Shoulda Been You and Enter Laughing: The Musical.
Josh Grisetti, the prolific theater actor and star of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5, died by suicide on Friday at 44.
Rob McClure, Grisetti’s close friend and Something Rotten! costar, announced his death on Instagram on Sunday.
“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,” he wrote. “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,” McClure continued.
The actors starred together as the beloved “Bottom brothers” — Nick and Nigel Bottom — in the national touring production of the 2015 musical Something Rotten!, which ran from 2017 through 2018.
McClure described himself as “beyond heartbroken” over the loss of his friend. “Communities around the world will never be the same without him,” he wrote. “We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss. Memorial info to come in time.”
Josh Grisetti in New York City in 2016
Credit: Noam Galai/WireImage
Performers across the universe of theater poured out tributes to Grisetti in the comments on McClure’s post and in their own.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Rob,” wrote Lea Salonga in the comments. Tony winner Donna Murphy called Grisetti’s passing “truly devastating & heartbreaking news,” and described the actor as “a beautiful, gifted human & artist.” Rachel Zegler commented a simple red heart emoji.
Erika Henningsen, who co-starred in Sheryl Crow’s musical Diner with Grisetti, shared several pictures of the actor accompanied by a heartfelt caption on her own page. “Oh Josh. I just loved you. I wish you were still here. Thank you for changing my life. Thank you for making me laugh. For making me think. For making me question. For making me believe in myself,” she wrote.
“I cannot believe this is real,” wrote Kelli Barrett, sharing McClure’s post to her own Instagram story. The pair co-starred together in the off-Broadway special Knickerbocker Holiday in 2009. “He was truly such a wonderful human who gave so much to so many. I can’t believe I’m saying ‘was.’ I am shook.”
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Born in Washington, D.C., on December 1, 1981, Grisetti studied drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and musical theatre at the Boston Conservatory. He appeared in regional productions of Spamalot, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum before breaking out in 2015.
That year marked his second in Diner and first in the hit Broadway musical It Shoulda Been You, which he starred in opposite Sierra Boggess, Tyne Daly, David Burtka, and Lisa Howard. Something Rotten! then catapulted him to fame, and he ultimately earned two nominations at the competitive Drama Desk Awards.
His screen career was brief but memorable, with a start on the short-lived ABC sitcom The Knights of Prosperity. He made his biggest impact as Ralph Emerson on the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which aired in 2023.
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