Grizz Chapman, the actor best known for playing Tracy Morgan’s trusted sidekick Grizz on NBC’s 30 Rock, has died. He was 52.
Chapman’s cousin, Harlem Globetrotter Donte Harrison, confirmed the news Friday in a social media post, writing that the actor died in his sleep “after years of fighting illness and dialysis.” No official cause of death has been announced.
Though Chapman appeared in a number of films and television shows throughout his career, he became a fan favorite on Tina Fey’s hit sitcom playing a fictionalized version of himself as part of Tracy Jordan’s entourage.
Chapman first met Morgan while working as a bouncer at a strip club, and the pair eventually became close friends. In a 2012 interview with CBR, Chapman credited Morgan with helping him stay on the show after NBC reportedly wanted to scale back the entourage cast.
“There were four members of the entourage originally, but NBC came to Tina Fey and Tracy and said they couldn’t pay for all four,” Chapman said at the time. “So Tracy said we’re gonna keep just two guys, which included me. I made the cut. I worked hard to get there. I worked really hard.”
Born Mack D. Chapman on April 16, 1974, the seven-foot-tall actor also spoke openly about the challenges of being typecast because of his height.
“I mean, why can’t a seven-foot guy play a doctor?” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013. “Why can’t I be a teacher? Why can’t I be a football coach? Why can’t I be a cab driver? Anything. Anything else than that.”
“I can cry. I can do those things that they think the big guys can’t do,” he added. “So just give us a chance.”
Chapman also spent years advocating for kidney disease awareness after undergoing dialysis treatments while filming 30 Rock. In 2010, he received a kidney transplant from a fan after publicly sharing that he needed a donor.
Outside of 30 Rock, Chapman appeared in The Cobbler alongside Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi, as well as Money Monster, Life of the Party, Blue Bloods, and The Blacklist, among other credits.