Grizz Chapman, an actor best known for his role as Grizz on the NBC hit television series “30 Rock,” died on Friday. He was 52.
His cousin, the Harlem Globetrotter Donte Harrison, confirmed Mr. Chapman’s death on social media.
A cause of death was not given, but Mr. Harrison said Mr. Chapman died in his sleep “after years of fighting illness and dialysis.”
While there are several acting credits listed to Mr. Chapman’s name on IMDb, his role on “30 Rock” as a member of Tracy Morgan’s entourage was arguably the breakout part for the towering actor.
Mr. Chapman met Mr. Morgan while working as a bouncer at a strip club, and the two formed a friendship.
Speaking to CBR in 2012, Mr. Chapman said he worked hard to get the part, and credited Mr. Morgan with being “an integral part in me keeping my job.”
“30 Rock,” which starred Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, chronicled the behind-the-scenes production of a fictional sketch comedy television show and was known for its rapid-fire jokes.
“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,” Mr. Chapman said in the 2012 interview. “So Tracy said we’re gonna keep just two guys, which included me. I made the cut. I worked hard to get there. I worked really hard.”
Mack D. Chapman was born on April 16, 1974. Information on survivors was not immediately available.
Mr. Chapman long had kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation, where he worked as a spokesman.
Mr. Chapman spent a year in dialysis treatments, three days a week for four hours a day, at the time he was filming “30 Rock.”
He announced that he needed a transplant in 2009, and in 2010, Ryan Perkins, a fan, donated one to him, according to the foundation.
In an interview with The East Valley Tribune of Tempe, Ariz., Mr. Chapman said he “really had no life before the transplant.”
“I really couldn’t do anything that wasn’t planned around dialysis,” he said. “I was living, but life wasn’t fun. I’m grateful and appreciative to Ryan.”
Mr. Chapman got into acting after he filmed a national commercial with Brett Favre.
In his 2012 interview with CBR, Mr. Chapman, who previously worked as a bodyguard, said that he “made $20,000 for 40 minutes of work, so I thought I was in the wrong business at that point and I needed to change.”
Mr. Chapman said that once he “got into acting, I realized it’s more than just standing there.” He took some acting classes, he said, and fell in love with the craft.
Georgia Gee contributed research.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics for The Times.
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