'Oz' Star Granville Adams Dead at 58 After Battling Cancer

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Hollywood is mourning the loss of a standout from the HBO drama series Oz.

Granville Adams, known for his role as Zahir Arif on the popular prison show that signed off in 2003 after six seasons, has died at age 58 following a battle with cancer. His former Oz colleagues shared the news on social media on Sunday, Oct. 10.

"Goodnight, sweet prince/and flights of angels sing thee to they rest #granvilleadams #oz," Oz series creator Tom Fontana posted to Instagram, adding an image of Granville from the show.

Granville's co-star Kirk Acevedo tweeted, "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. Granville Adams." He added a prayer hands emoji.

Additionally, Oz actor Dean Winters posted a photo to Instagram of himself and Granville from a previous magazine shoot. In the lengthy caption, he wrote in part, "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."

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Back in January, Tom and Dean created a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise donations to help cover Granville's hospital costs. "As many of you know, our friend and brother Granville Adams has been diagnosed with cancer," the message read. "In only a few months, the medical bills have skyrocketed to astronomical levels."

The post continued, "Not only does he have to battle this ruthless disease, but now he has to fend off the hospital bills the insurance company refuses to pay."

Granville Adams
Johnny Nunez/WireImage

The actor, who is survived by wife Christina, is also known for a recurring role on Homicide: Life on the Street, along with appearing in the 2002 crime film Empire that starred John Leguizamo and Peter Sarsgaard.

Granville had documented his fight with cancer on social media. In December 2020, he posted a photo to Instagram of himself from his hospital bed, including the caption, "F—K CANCER!"

His most recent Instagram post was a hospital selfie from July 29 with the note, "135 pounds of post radiation badness," along with three flexing emojis.