Andrew Lloyd Webber has shared a heartfelt tribute to West End actor Ben Lewis.

Lewis, the Australian performer best known for portraying the title character in The Phantom of the Opera on London’s West End, passed away in Sydney after battling bowel cancer. He was 46.

“My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife and family,” Lloyd Webber said in a statement. “Ben Lewis will be deeply missed by his many friends in theatre across the world.”

The legendary composer went on to share that the loss felt especially personal to him.

“I felt a personal connection with Ben’s horrible cause of death,” he explained. “My own son Nick died of stomach and bowel cancer. Had he lived, he would have been the same age as Ben when he so tragically passed away. These dreadful stomach and bowel cancers are increasingly affecting young men, who are being taken from us far too soon.”

News of Lewis’s passing was first shared on Instagram by his friend, Australian television presenter and former tennis player Todd Woodbridge.

“Today we lost Ben Lewis, one of my family’s closest friends, far too young,” Woodbridge wrote. “The Australian musical theatre community also lost one of its greats. Ben was funny, kind, and a generous mentor to everyone he worked with.”

Lewis was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2024. He is survived by his wife, Australian actor Melle Stewart.