Phantom of the Opera star has died of bowel cancer

The theater world is mourning the loss of Ben Lewis, the West End leading man celebrated for The Phantom of the Opera and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies. The Australian actor died at 46 after a battle with bowel cancer.

The news was shared on October 6 by his friend and Australian TV host Todd Woodbridge, who called Lewis “one of the greats.” In a moving Instagram tribute, Woodbridge remembered a generous colleague and mentor—“funny, caring,” and beloved by those who worked with him. He recalled holidays in Scotland, visits backstage at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, and summers spent at Wimbledon, sending love to Lewis’s family.

Lewis was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2024. A fundraiser set up to support his family explained that doctors deemed the disease incurable. After major surgery to remove the primary tumor, he began intensive chemotherapy, but the cancer proved aggressive and resistant. Scans in April revealed it had spread to his liver, lungs, and pelvis, leaving surgery and radiation no longer viable options.

Born in London to a family of classically trained opera singers, Lewis studied vocal performance at the Royal College of Music and at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Early stage work in Sydney—Urinetown, A Little Night Music, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert—led to a breakout as the Phantom in the original Australian production of Love Never Dies in 2011. He later brought that iconic role to London’s West End in 2017 and 2018, earning acclaim for the power and lyricism of his voice and the intensity of his performance. His work in Love Never Dies won him the Judith Johnson Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Sydney Theatre Awards, and the production was later filmed by Universal, extending his reach to audiences around the world.

There is a deeper heartbreak to Lewis’s story. He had also been the primary caregiver to his wife, Australian actress Melle Stewart, who suffered a life-altering stroke at age 40 in 2021, linked to a rare complication from the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Stewart spent nearly nine months in the hospital, and Lewis stood by her throughout her long rehabilitation, a quiet demonstration of devotion that friends and colleagues often highlighted when speaking about his character.

Lewis is survived by his wife and extended family. Beyond the ovations and awards, he leaves a legacy of generosity, professionalism, and a voice that filled theaters with feeling. For those who saw him onstage—in Australia or the West End—his performances remain indelible. For those who knew him, the memory that endures is of a kind man who lifted others, onstage and off.