Grizz Chapman, '30 Rock' Actor, Dies at 52

Grizz Chapman, who played Warren "Grizz" Griswold on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, has died. He was 52. His longtime representative Saideh A. Brown confirmed the death to TMZ on Friday. A Facebook post by co-star Kevin Brown, who played Dot Com, also announced the news.

Chapman died peacefully in his sleep on May 22, 2026, after years of fighting illness and dialysis, according to his cousin Donte "Hammer" Harrison. Harrison, a Harlem Globetrotter, posted the details on Instagram. "Life gave my cousin Grizz Chapman some heavy battles, but he fought them with strength and dignity until the very end," Harrison wrote.

Chapman previously struggled with kidney disease and received a transplant in 2010. He later served as a spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation.

16, 1974, in Brooklyn, Chapman stood seven feet tall and worked as a bouncer when he met Tracy Morgan. Morgan cast him and Kevin Brown as Tracy Jordan's entourage members on 30 Rock, which ran from 2006 to 2013. Chapman appeared in 80 episodes across all seven seasons.

The ensemble cast earned five Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Beyond 30 Rock, he guest-starred on Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, and The Good Fight. He also created YouTube series including Grizz Chroniclez and 30 Rock: Livin' XL with Grizz & Dotcom.

Chapman's wife and two children are devastated by the loss, his representative said. "A lot of people knew him as the sitcom star from 30 Rock, but we knew the man behind the screen," Harrison wrote. " "I'm thankful we got time to reconnect 2 months before his passing.

Rest easy, cousin. Your name and legacy will live on forever," Harrison added.