Granville Adams, Oz and Homicide Actor, Dies at 58

Oz and Homicide star Granville Adams has died after a battle with cancer. The actor was 58 years old. Adams' passing was shared by his Oz co-star Kirk Acevedo on social media on Sunday, with Acevedo writing "I lost my brotha today after a long battle with cancer. 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." Oz showrunner and executive producer Tom Fontana also took to social media to pay tribute to Adams. Adams had previously announced his cancer diagnosis in December 2020, sharing a photo on social media of himself in a hospital bed with the caption "F-CK CANCER!".

Adams is best known for his role as Zahir Arif, a Muslim inmate at the fictional Oswald State Correctional Facility in the HBO series Oz from 1997 to 2003. Adams appeared in 48 of the series' 56 episodes. He also had a recurring role on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street as Officer Jeff Westby, a role he reprised for the television movie Homicide: The Movie in 2000. He also appeared as Detective Jones on Empire.

Earlier this year, Fontana and Oz star Dean Winters launched a GoFundMe for Adams and his family earlier this year to help in his battle with cancer. As of the last update in February, the fundraiser had raised more than $95,000. On Sunday, Winters took to social media to pay tribute to his co-star and friend, sharing a magazine cover featuring himself with Adams and fellow Oz co-star Christopher Meloni.

"All of my photos of Granville Adams were lost, except for this one. How fitting is this? Us on the cover of TWILO magazine (@chris_meloni our middle man)," Winters wrote. "We shot this on a Monday after being there all day Sunday, we were like young Lion Cubs who constantly broke away from the pack, only to come back to the tribe with our tails between our legs and gigantic, sh-t eating grins. I first met Granny in 1992 and I immediately drank the Kool-Aid. His smile was infectious, his chuckle was intoxicating. 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. 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 ❤️💔❤️💔❤️💔❤️"

Our thoughts are with Adams' family, friends, and fans at this time. 

H/T: TMZ