Josh Grisetti, the acclaimed Broadway actor, educator, and television performer known for his roles in "Something Rotten!," "It Shoulda Been You," and a memorable recurring turn on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," has died. He was 44. His death was confirmed by his close friend and longtime "Something Rotten!" co-star Rob McClure, who shared the news in an emotional Instagram tribute.

A Community in Mourning

"It is with a shattered heart that I share that the brilliant Josh Grisetti took his own life on Friday," McClure wrote. "I'm not ready to even attempt to understand. My heart is with his wife and family as they try to deal with the reality of this." McClure, who served as best man at Grisetti's wedding and played his brother onstage for years as Nigel and Nick Bottom in "Something Rotten!," called the loss "cataclysmic," writing, "We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss. Communities around the world will never be the same without him." He said memorial information would be shared in the future.

Sierra Boggess, who starred opposite Grisetti in "It Shoulda Been You," posted her own tribute, writing, "We all loved him so unbelievably much. He created light and thought and humor everywhere he went. He was a BRILLIANT actor and director and writer... I loved the way he looked at the world and how he challenged ideals and norms." Tributes poured in from across the Broadway community, including from Rachel Zegler, Lea Salonga, Caissie Levy, and Donna Murphy, who described Grisetti as "a beautiful, gifted human and artist." Grisetti is survived by his wife, Mackenzie Grisetti.

A Stage Career Built From the Ground Up

Born in Washington, D.C., in December 1981, Grisetti grew up in Rocky Mount, Virginia, near Roanoke. He trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory in 2004. His New York stage career took off almost immediately, earning acclaim from his very first Off-Broadway appearance in the York Theatre's 2008 production of "Enter Laughing," with theater critic Raven Snook later writing that she'd been "rallying for Grisetti's success" ever since.

He made his Broadway debut in 2015 originating the role of Marty Kaufman in "It Shoulda Been You" alongside Sierra Boggess, Tyne Daly, and Lisa Howard, with Variety's Marilyn Stasio calling him a "perfectly wonderful physical actor." That same year, he joined the cast of "Something Rotten!," a role that earned him wider recognition and, along with "Enter Laughing: The Musical," two Drama Desk Award nominations. He went on to originate the role on the show's first national tour from 2017 to 2018. His additional Broadway and Off-Broadway credits included "Broadway Bound," a concert staging of "Camelot," "Rent," "Peter and the Starcatcher," "Red Eye of Love," "Candida," and "After the Ball," along with regional work spanning "Prince of Broadway" in Tokyo, "Matilda" at The Muny, "Beauty and the Beast," "Spamalot," and a 2023 turn as Tateh in "Ragtime" at La Mirada Theatre.

Screen Work and 'Mrs. Maisel'

On television, Grisetti starred alongside Donal Logue and Sofía Vergara in the short-lived 2007 ABC sitcom "The Knights of Prosperity" and appeared in pilots for NBC's "The Gates" and "Like Magic." He was perhaps best known to television audiences for his recurring role as comedy writer Ralph Emerson opposite Rachel Brosnahan in the fifth and final season of Amazon Prime's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," appearing in eight episodes. His film credits included "The Immigrant," "Revolutionary Road," and "The Namesake."

A Devoted Educator and Advocate

Beyond performing, Grisetti was deeply committed to teaching the next generation of theater artists, serving as head of the Musical Theatre program at California State University, Fullerton, after previously teaching at Fullerton College and Loyola Marymount University. He built a substantial following on TikTok and Instagram Reels in recent years for candid, thoughtful content critiquing BFA programs in American higher education and the financial pressures of student loans, alongside practical advice for young performers navigating auditions and college theater programs. He also authored the book "God in My Head."

A Legacy Remembered by the Theater Community

Colleagues consistently described Grisetti as both an exceptional talent and a generous, thoughtful presence within the theater world. Beyond his performances, friends and collaborators pointed to his mentorship, his humor, and what Boggess called his gift for creating "light and thought" wherever he went — a legacy that extended from Broadway stages to the students he mentored throughout his teaching career.