Actor Granville Adams, who portrayed Zahir Arif in HBO’s Oz for six seasons, died after a battle with cancer. He was 58.
The news was confirmed on Sunday by multiple friends including Oz‘s showrunner/executive producer Tom Fontana, and costars Kirk Acevedo and Harold Perrineau.
“I lost my brotha today after a long battle with cancer,” Acevedo shared via Twitter. “I don’t do well with loss because I’m unfamiliar with it. Yo Granny we’ll be chopping it up on the other side one day. Until then… Rest easy my friend.”
Added Perrineau via Instagram, “You can’t always cry, sometimes you’ve got to CELEBRATE the time you had together. Brittany and I LOVE this man and the entire group of family/friends that we all created. Sleep well Prince! We’ll see each other again.”
Adams documented his battle on social media with his last post shared from what appears to be his hospital room in August.
“135 pounds of post radiation badness,” he posted.
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On his official Instagram, friends and family posted this message.
"Today our beloved Granville Adams has passed and is now with God. After a long hard-fought battle with Cancer, Granny has ascended to the heavens. Gran spent his last days surrounded by his loved ones, family, and close friends. His wife Christina was by his side the entire time and was alone with him when he passed."
"Granny is now in peace and not suffering anymore. He fought till the end with a strength, beauty and grace like no other, putting his family before himself til the final moments. We are all so honored to have known Granville, who embodies the expression “to know him is to love him.” Everyone who knew Granville knew the exemplary human kindness he possessed. Every life he touched was better for it. Granville was a beautiful man who always put others first and was known for his kindness and selflessness. Always the life of the party, Granville would not want us to be sad!"
"Granny would want us all to smile and remember the best times we had with him, and share the love we learned from him! Granny may have left the building, but he will forever be in our hearts!"
"Just before he passed, we asked him to show us a sign when he crossed to the other side. After he passed the friends and family who were there at the hospice and hospital went to eat and reminisce about Granny. As we were sitting and eating, there was a torrential downpour which subsided after 30 minutes only to reveal a brilliant double rainbow right in front of us. We knew in that moment it was Granny, spreading love as he does… We love you Gran always and forever!"
Before he shot to fame on the HBO drama, Granville had a recurring role of Officer Jeff Westby on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street from 1996 to 1999.
He later reprised the role in the big-screen version, Homicide: The Movie.
Following news of Granville's death, his fellow Oz star Dean Winters posted a tribute on Instagram, "He never, ever spoke ill of anyone and I defy anyone who knew him to say anything negative about this man. Granville was beloved, period," Winters wrote. "He may as well have had people throwing rose petals at his feet while he walked down the street. A humble, beautiful soul who just elevated the afterlife to a whole new level. You will be missed my friend. You are my brother and I'm a better human being for knowing you. RIP G. Respect."
While it's not clear what kind of cancer Adams battled with, some initial reports state that it was brain cancer that took his life.
Cancer cells have gene mutations that turn the cell from a normal cell into a cancer cell. These gene mutations may be inherited, develop over time as we get older and genes wear out, or develop if we are around something that damages our genes, like cigarette smoke, alcohol or ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
A cancer cell doesn’t act like a normal cell. It starts to grow and divide out of control instead of dying when it should. They also don’t mature as much as normal cells so they stay immature. Although there are many different types of cancer, they all start because of cells that are growing abnormally and out of control. Cancer can start in any cell in the body.
Just three months ago, Adams posted this message from his hospital bed that read: "Here we go...see you on the other side!"
View this post on Instagram
