Actor Grizzwald ‘Grizz’ Chapman, best known for playing Tracy Jordan’s (Tracy Morgan) confidante Grizz on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, has died. He was 52 years old. “We are very sad for his family and friends and for all who knew him and worked with him,” said Chapman’s agent Renee Glicker, per Deadline. “For all seven feet, 380 lbs of him, he was a very sweet man who loved his family very much. He enjoyed working on 30 Rock every minute. His poor health curtailed his career unfortunately.” Chapman’s cause of death was not revealed. The actor suffered from hypertension and was undergoing dialysis treatments before getting a kidney transplant in 2010. He was a spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation and appeared on The Dr. Oz Show to discuss kidney disease in 2009. Chapman leaves behind a wife and two children.

Chapman was not acting before securing his role on 30 Rock, about the production of a fictional NBC sketch show. According to his commentary on the episode “Tracy Does Conan,” Tracy Morgan met Chapman while he was working as a bouncer at a strip club. As a member of actor Tracy Jordan’s entourage, Grizz was a sounding board for Jordan’s wild ideas, and was tasked with doing things like “sitting” on the actor when he was overstimulated. Chapman was often paired with actor Kevin Brown as Dot Com, the other constant member of Jordan’s entourage. Chapman was a recurring player for the first two seasons of 30 Rock, but was upgraded to series regular in Season 3. He appeared in all seven seasons of the show, and became known for his towering stature and laconic, deadpan line readings. He was an important part of the ending of the show, as main character Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) starts a new chapter in her life by working on his sitcom Grizz & Herz, one of the many fake TV shows on 30 Rock. “30 Rock was a great stepping stone for me. Before this, I was just known as a big guy, but now, I’m not just known for that,” Chapman told MovieWeb in 2012 during the show’s final season. “There are just so many things I’m going to walk away from 30 Rock with.”

After 30 Rock, Chapman went on to appear in episodes of TV shows like Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, and The Good Fight. He also started up the YouTube channel @GrizzChroniclez, where he posted comedy sketches and short films.

Release Date

2006 – 2013-00-00

Network

NBC