Fan-favorite 30 Rock star Grizz Chapman dead at 52 after years of ‘fighting illness’
Grizz Chapman, who was beloved by fans of 30 Rock for his recurring role as a character also called Grizz, has died at the age of just 52.
The actor passed away Friday, his longtime representative Saideh A. Brown confirmed without disclosing the cause.
Chapman leaves behind his wife of 24 years Diana and their two children, who are said to be devastated by his loss, according to TMZ.
His cousin has claimed on social media that Chapman died in his sleep after years of ‘fighting illness’ and undergoing ‘dialysis.’
His 30 Rock character was the childhood friend and later assistant of the Tracy Morgan character, who was a heightened parody of the comedian himself.
Along with being a loyal adjutant to Tracy, the character Grizz has a sordid past with Tina Fey‘s character Liz Lemon – and the occasional liaison with her in the present.
Grizz Chapman, who was beloved by fans of 30 Rock for his recurring role as a character called Grizz, has died at the age of just 52; pictured in 2015
Chapman on a grand total of 80 episodes of 30 Rock, from the smash hit NBC sitcom’s first season in 2006 to its final season in 2013.
Born in 1974 in Brooklyn, the real Grizz Chapman was working as a strip club bouncer when he first encountered the real Tracy Morgan.
He went onto appear on a total of 80 episodes of 30 Rock, from the smash hit NBC sitcom’s first season in 2006 to its final season in 2013.
Grizz and a character called Dot Com, who was played by Kevin Brown, served as the idiosyncratic entourage of Morgan’s character Tracy Jordan.
In the midst of his run on the show, he underwent a successful kidney transplant in 2010 after having to have dialysis three times a week, the Associated Press reported.
Chapman had initially been diagnosed with hypertension around the turn of the 21st century and discovered he had kidney disease years later.
He announced in 2009 that he needed a transplant, noting the procedure would occur once he reduced his weight to the requisite amount and a donor was found.
‘I’m a little nervous about the process,’ the married father of two said in an interview with CBS: ‘but I’m definitely willing and able.’
While he was on the waiting list, he had been asked on TV by Dr. Oz: ‘What’s your wish?’ and responded simply: ‘I wanna stay alive.’
He reflected that ‘at some point’ he intended to ‘fix’ his health issues ‘if I can,’ noting that ‘I don’t wanna go through this forever, you know what I mean? But it’s definitely a scary situation and you just gotta face it, one way or another.’
After 30 Rock, he appeared on TV programs including Blue Bloods and The Blacklist as well as movies like the 2014 Adam Sandler comedy The Cobbler.
He also launched his own sketch show on YouTube called the Grizz Chronicles, and featured on the Webby-winning channel We the Internet TV.
As news of his death circulated Friday, Chapman was memorialized online by his cousin Donte ‘Hammer’ Harrison, who plays for the Harlem Globetrotters.
‘Life gave my cousin Grizz Chapman some heavy battles, but he fought them with strength and dignity until the very end,’ wrote Harrison.
Vaunting his ‘good heart’ and ‘good energy,’ Harrison shared that Chapman died ‘peacefully in his sleep’ following ‘years of fighting illness and dialysis.’
Harrison added: ‘I’m thankful we got time to reconnect 2 months before his passing. Rest easy, cousin. Your name and legacy will live on forever.’