By Zoe Papadakis | Tuesday, 07 October 2025 12:33 PM EDT
Australian actor and singer Ben Lewis, 46, known for his acclaimed role as the Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera” on London’s West End, died Monday in Sydney after a battle with bowel cancer. His passing was confirmed via Instagram by television presenter Todd Woodbridge, a close friend of Lewis.
“Today we lost Ben Lewis one [of] my families [family’s] dearest friends way to [too] young and the Australian Musical Theatre family also lost one of the greats!” Woodbridge wrote.
Lewis was born in London on Sept. 28, 1979, to a family of opera singers. He studied voice at the Royal College of Music in London and later at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After relocating to Australia, he established a career in musical theater with early roles in “Urinetown,” “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” and “A Little Night Music.”
In 2011, Lewis originated the role of the Phantom in the Australian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Love Never Dies,” the sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera.” His performance earned him the lead role in the West End production of “The Phantom of the Opera,” where he performed from 2017 to 2018. Additional stage credits included touring productions of “Love Me Tender” and “The Bodyguard” in the U.K., as well as the 2018 West End revival of “Company.”
Lewis was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2024. He is survived by his wife, Australian actor Melle Stewart. Stewart previously endured a severe stroke in 2021, which she linked to a rare reaction to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. She later became an advocate for vaccination, receiving multiple doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
In tribute, Woodbridge described Lewis as “one of the great humans, funny, caring and a wonderful mentor to all of the people he worked with.” He recalled shared memories, including holidays in Scotland, visits to Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, and time spent at Wimbledon.
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer, and editor for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
