HBO's 'Oz' Star Granville Adams Dead at 58 from Cancer: 'His Smile Was Infectious'

Granville Adams, best known for his role as Zahir Arif on HBO's Oz, has died from cancer. He was 58.

On Sunday, Oz showrunner and executive producer Tom Fontana shared the news on Instagram alongside a photo of Adams.

"Goodnight, sweet prince/and flights of angels sing thee to they rest," he captioned the post.

On Monday, an official update was shared to Adams' Instagram account by his family. "After a long hard-fought battle with Cancer, Granny has ascended to the heavens. Gran spent his last days surrounded by his loved ones, family, and close friends. His wife Christina was by his side the entire time and was alone with him when he passed," the post read.

"Granny is now in peace and not suffering anymore. He fought till the end with a strength, beauty and grace like no other, putting his family before himself til the final moments," the post continued. "Granville would not want us to be sad! Granny would want us all to smile and remember the best times we had with him, and share the love we learned from him! Granny may have left the building, but he will forever be in our hearts!"

Following news of Granville's death, his fellow Oz star Dean Winters posted a tribute on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself and Adams from a 2000 magazine photoshoot. In the caption, Winters reflected on meeting the late star, sharing that his smile was "infectious" and 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," Winters wrote. "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 ❤️💔❤️💔❤️💔❤️"

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Kirk Acevedo, who also starred in Oz, honored his late "brother" Adams on Twitter, 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."

Harold Perrineau, who portrayed Augustus Hill on Oz, wrote a touching tribute on Instagram alongside a photo of Adams, captioning it: "You can't always cry, sometimes you've got to CELEBRATE the time you had together. I LOVE this man and the entire group of family/friends that we all created. Sleep well Prince! We'll see each other again."

Adams first announced his cancer diagnosis in December 2020, sharing a photo from his hospital bed with the caption, "F--- CANCER!" He went on to share a few updates, most recently posting a photo in July writing, "135 pounds of post radiation badness 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽."

In January, Fontana and other members of the Oz family rallied support for the actor as Fontana and Winters started a GoFundMe page to help support Adams and his family.

"As many of you know, our friend and brother Granville Adams has been diagnosed with cancer. In only a few months, the medical bills have skyrocketed to astronomical levels," Fontana wrote. "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. In this quarter alone, the unpaid bills have piled up to $69,550. We want to gather together and show Granville our love by clearing this quarter's bills, giving Granville concrete support in his fight against this vicious disease."

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Fontana himself donated $10,000 to the fundraiser, while Adams' Oz cast mate J.K. Simmons contributed $5,000. Lost's Harold Perrineau and his wife Brittany also donated $2,000. They exceeded their fundraising goal of $69,550, raising over $95,000 in a month.

Adams starred as Zahir Arif on Oz from 1997 to 2003. Prior to the HBO drama, he had a recurring role as Officer Jeff Westby on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street from 1996 to 1999. He later reprised the character in the big-screen spin-off, Homicide: The Movie.

He is survived by his wife, Christina.