Love Never Dies Star Ben Lewis Has Died at 46
The Australian baritenor starred in the filmed production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera.
Australian baritenor Ben Lewis has died, after a public battle with bowel cancer. He was 46 years old.
The son of opera singers Michael Lewis and Patricia Price, Mr. Lewis worked widely throughout Australia, appearing in Sydney productions of Urinetown, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and A Little Night Music, and in Melbourne productions of Spamalot and Metro Street. Fame would find Mr. Lewis in 2011, when he was cast as the Phantom in the Australian production of Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera.
The production was filmed by Universal for wide release, preserving Mr. Lewis’ performance for all time, and leading him and his family to the U.K., where he performed for much of the later years of his life, including an appearance in the West End as The Phantom in the original production of The Phantom of the Opera. His other British credits include Candide, Forbidden Broadway, Love Me Tender, Annie Get Your Gun, the Marianne Elliott gender-swapped production of Company, and The Bodyguard on tour across the U.K., Ireland, and Japan.
In 2012, Mr. Lewis received won the Judith Johnson Award for Best Actor in Leading Role in a Musical at the 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards for his performance in Love Never Dies.
Mr. Lewis was married actor Melle Stewart, serving as her primary carer following her stroke in 2021. He is survived by Stewart, his parents, and his extended family.
