“30 Rock” actor Grizz Chapman battled health issues prior to his death at age 52.
The actor was “just struggling to stay alive” while facing various medical conditions, his manager Renee Glicker told TMZ on Saturday.
Glicker told the outlet that Chapman needed another kidney transplant after undergoing one back in 2010 — but due to his seven foot height, locating a match was challenging. His cause of death has not been determined, but Glicker told the outlet she suspects there are “a number of contributing factors.”
Page Six has reached out to Glicker for further comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
News broke on Friday that the beloved actor had passed, with his longtime rep, Saideh A. Brown, confirming the loss to TMZ.
He’s survived by his wife and two children, who are said to be “devastated” following his death on Friday.
The actor’s cousin, Donte “Hammer” Harrison of the Harlem Globetrotters, took to social media to share details of Chapman’s final years.
“Life gave my cousin Grizz Chapman some heavy battles, but he fought them with strength and dignity until the very end,” Harrison wrote alongside a pic of him on a basketball court with Chapman.
“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.”
Harrison noted that his cousin “passed peacefully in his sleep” on Friday “after years of fighting illness and dialysis.”
The athlete concluded the post, “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 is best known for his comedic role as Grizz Griswold on Emmy winning comedy series “30 Rock” opposite Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, and Tracy Morgan.
He appeared on the NBC show from 2006 to 2013.
Though Chapman experienced high-profile success in Hollywood, he once shared that he also encountered significant frustrations, with his extraordinary height sometimes limiting his opportunities.
“I mean, why can’t a seven foot guy play a doctor?” he asked the Hollywood Reporter back in 2012.
He continued, “Why can’t I be a teacher? Why can’t I be a football coach? Why can’t I be a cab driver? Anything. Anything else than that. I can cry. I can do those things that they think the big guys can’t do. So just give us a chance.”
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