Grizz Chapman, who appeared as a fan-favorite bodyguard on 30 Rock across the show’s seven-season run, has died at the age of 52.
ByMay 23, 2026 1:26 PM
| Updated May 23, 2026 5:10 PM
Tags30 Rock’s Grizz Chapman Dead at 52
A beloved member of the 30 Rock cast has passed away.
Grizz Chapman, best known for his role as bodyguard Grizz in the sitcom, died on May 22, his rep Saideh A. Brown confirmed to TMZ. He was 52.
Hours after his death, Chapman’s cousin Harlem Globetrotter Donte “Hammer” Harrison shed light on the actor’s health struggles at the time of his passing.
“After years of fighting illness and dialysis, he passed peacefully in his sleep on May 22nd, 2026,” Harrison wrote on Instagram alongside a throwback photo of the pair. “I’m thankful we got time to reconnect 2 months before his passing.”
Before his death, Chapman spoke openly about his health battle with kidney disease, which led to him getting a kidney transplant in 2010. That same year, he became a spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation.
Harrison also touched on Chapman’s enduring legacy.
“Life gave my cousin Grizz Chapman some heavy battles, but he fought them with strength and dignity until the very end,” Harrison wrote. “A lot of people knew him as the sitcom star from 30 Rock, but we knew the man behind the screen. A good heart, good energy, and somebody who made an impact in this life.”
“Rest easy, cousin,” he added. “Your name and legacy will live on forever.”
Chapman is survived by his wife and two children.
Photo by Mike Coppola/FilmMagic
Chapman got his start on 30 Rock after meeting costar Tracy Morgan while working as a bouncer at a New York night club. After sparking up a friendship with the comedian, Chapman went on to play one of the fictional Tracy Jordan’s trusted entourage members alongside Kevin Brown, who played Dot Com.
“I worked hard to get the part, and a lot of people think that because Tracy and me are friends, I automatically got the part,” Chapman told CBR in 2012. “What I can say is that Tracy was an integral part in me keeping my job because there were four members of the entourage originally, but NBC came to Tina Fey and Tracy and said they couldn’t pay for all four.”
Photo by Nicole Rivelli/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
“So, Tracy said we’re gonna keep just two guys, which included me,” he added. “I made the cut. I worked hard to get there. I worked really hard.”
Though Chapman went on to appear in shows such as The Black List and Blue Bloods, movies like Money Monster and even his own YouTube series, he was candid about the challenges of landing work in Hollywood.
“I get a lot of the time, ‘We don’t know how to market you or you’re too big.’ Or, ‘We have one of you already,’” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. “But you don’t have one of me already; you don’t have a seven foot, lovable guy. You don’t have that.”
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