Australian actor and musical theatre star Ben Lewis, known for his acclaimed performances in The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies, has died at the age of 46 following a battle with bowel cancer. The news was shared by his friend Todd Woodbridge on Instagram.

“Today we lost Ben Lewis," Woodbridge wrote on October 6. “One [of] my families [sic] dearest friends way to [sic] young and the Australian Musical Theatre family also lost one of the greats!"

He added a personal note about Lewis’s character and mentorship: “More importantly he was one of the great humans, funny, caring and a wonderful mentor to all of the people he work [sic] with…so many fond memories of holidays together in Scotland, visiting the dressing rooms of Her Majesty’s Theatre in London to times spent at Wimbledon

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