Josh Grisetti, “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ”Actor and Broadway Star, Dies by Suicide at 44

Members of the theater community have been sharing their condolences, including friend and costar Rob McClure, who called Grisetti a “brilliant” performer whose loss is “cataclysmic”

NEED TO KNOW Josh Grisetti has died by suicide at age 44 The celebrated Broadway actor, educator and TV performer was known for his roles in Something Rotten! and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and taught musical theater at California State University, Fullerton Broadway stars, including Rob McClure, Sierra Boggess and Lea Salonga, shared tributes, calling Grisetti's death a heartbreaking loss to the theater community Josh Grisetti — the Broadway actor, television performer and beloved musical theater educator known for his work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Something Rotten!

and It Shoulda Been You — died by suicide on Friday, July 10, PEOPLE can confirm. He was 44. The sad news was announced in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, July 12, by actor Rob McClure, who starred alongside Grisetti in Something Rotten!

on Broadway and on the show's national tour. "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." "[My wife] and I are beyond heartbroken," added McClure, noting that he served as the best man at Grisetti's wedding. "Communities around the world will never be the same without him."

"We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss," said the actor. "Memorial info to come in time."

In the comments of McClure's tribute, many members of the Broadway community shared their condolences, including Rachel Zegler, Caissie Levy, Lea Salonga, Erika Henningsen, Drew Gehling and Donna Murphy — the latter of whom called Grisetti "a beautiful, gifted human and artist." Sierra Boggess, who starred opposite Grisetti in It Shoulda Been You on Broadway, posted an emotional tribute on Instagram, writing in part, "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," she continued. "I loved his humor and his brain and deep, deep philosophical conversations."

Boggess added, "Our It Should Have Been You family was as close as can be and this is so heartbreaking I will be processing with the show family and all of you for a very long time. And all the other show families he made along the way." Grisetti was perhaps best known to television audiences for his recurring role as Ralph Emerson in the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, appearing in eight episodes.

Earlier in his career, he starred opposite Donal Logue and Sofía Vergara in ABC's short-lived 2007 sitcom The Knights of Prosperity. Born in Washington, D.C., Grisetti grew up in Southwest Virginia. He attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, graduating in 2000 with a drama diploma, before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory in 2004.

His stage career flourished in New York. In 2015, Grisetti starred in the Broadway musical It Shoulda Been You alongside Boggess, Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, David Burtka, Montego Glover, Lisa Howard and Chip Zien. The following year, he succeeded John Cariani as Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten!, starring opposite McClure's Nick Bottom.

The pair later spent more than a year touring the musical across the country. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date with what PEOPLE has to offer Other Broadway credits include Broadway Bound, Camelot in concert and numerous Off-Broadway productions including Rent, Peter and the Starcatcher, Enter Laughing, Red Eye of Love, Candida and After the Ball. His regional theater work included productions of Prince of Broadway in Tokyo, Matilda at The Muny, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Beauty and the Beast, Spamalot and Where's Charley?

On screen, Grisetti also appeared in the films The Immigrant, Revolutionary Road and The Namesake. He was also the