Talented actor and poet Craig muMs Grant, who starred in HBO’s Oz and worked with Spike Lee on a number of different movies and specials, has died. He was 52.
No cause of death has been determined yet. LAByrinth Theater Company, of which he was a member, released a statement announcing his passing.
“The LAByrinth Theater family is deeply saddened to share the news of the unexpected loss of Craig ‘muMs’ Grant,” the post read. “We’ll forever miss our friend, brother, LAB member, Emcee, mentor, poet, actor, spoken-word giant, and fire-breathing teddy bear. muMs’ presence, performances, and words inspired a generation. His legacy will live on, from the Bronx and into the beyond. Keep rocking the mic, Schemer!”
On the acclaimed Oz, which ran from 1997 to 2003, Grant portrayed Arnold “Poet” Jackson, a heroin addict and prisoner who recites poetry for other inmates.
Grant worked with a number of revered filmmakers such as Spike Lee, appearing in the director’s films BlacKkKlansman and Bamboozled. He also played Cash Jackson in the recent Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It.
His big-screen credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman, and the Safdie brothers’ Good Time.
Born Craig Grant in New York City, the entertainer got his start through a documentary titled “SlamNation,” which saw him and the Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team competing at the 1996 National Poetry Slam, according to Entertainment Weekly.
His poems were also featured on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam.”
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On television, Grant appeared in series like Dave Chappelle’s, Chappelle’s Show, The Sopranos, Law & Order: SVU, Boston Legal, The Knick, Horace and Pete, and Luke Cage. At the time of his death, Grant was shooting a recurring role on Starz’s Hightown and was set to wrap a recurring arc on Tyler Perry’s BET+ show All the Queen’s Men.
