Grizz Chapman, who starred as Warren “Grizz” Griswold on the classic NBC sitcom 30 Rock, has died.
Grizz was a member of Tracy Jordan’s (Tracy Morgan) entourage as a bodyguard alongside Kevin Brown, who played Walter “Dotcom” Slattery. Brown made the announcement of Chapman’s death on Facebook on Friday. Chapman was 52.
“I regret to inform you that Mack Chapman aka Grizz Chapman passed today. May he RIP,” Brown wrote in the Facebook post. Chapman’s representative, Saideh A. Brown, told TMZ that his client died on Friday but gave no other details other than to say that the actor’s wife and two children were devastated by the loss.
Chapman’s cousin, Harlem Globetrotters team member Donte “Hammer” Harrison, gave details about the actor’s health challenges in a tribute on his Instagram page.
Harrison wrote in the post, “Life gave my cousin Grizz Chapman some heavy battles, but he fought them with strength and dignity until the very end. 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.
After years of fighting illness and dialysis, he passed peacefully in his sleep on May 22nd, 2026.”
Harrison concluded his tribute post to Chapman by writing, “I’m thankful we got time to reconnect 2 months before his passing. Rest easy, cousin. Your name and legacy will live on forever.”
Chapman was born on April 16, 1974, in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 7-foot-tall actor made his screen debut on 30 Rock in 2006, and he appeared in 80 episodes over all seven seasons of Tina Fey’s Emmy-winning comedy series through 2013.
Also during his time on the series, Chapman and Brown created the comedy shorts 30 Rock: Livin’ XL with Grizz & Dotcom.
Grizz Chapman Appeared In Over 20 Screen Roles
In addition to his work on 30 Rock — where Grizz Champman and his fellow castmembers earned five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series — the actor appeared in guest roles in several high-profile TV shows and movies
In 2013, Chapman appeared in guest turns on the drama Blue Bloods and comedy series The Side Car, as well as supporting roles in the comedy film Life of the Party and the drama Home.
Chapman also appeared in guest roles in the crime drama The Black List and the legal drama The Good Fight, and had a recurring role on the YouTube web series Common Sense Police. In addition, Chapman appeared in a series of YouTube videos called the Grizz Chroniclez.
Chapman’s last screen appearances were in three episodes in 2018 in the YouTube web series We the Internet TV and the 2021 short film Diving in Stilettos First.
According to Chapman’s IMDb profile, he also has a role in the upcoming comedy movie Use Me: The Life of Guy Whitcam.
