Talented actor and poet Craig muMs Grant, who starred in HBO’s Oz and worked with Spike Lee on a number of different movies and specials, has died. He was 52.
No cause of death has been determined yet. LAByrinth Theater Company, of which he was a member, released a statement announcing his passing.
“The LAByrinth Theater family is deeply saddened to share the news of the unexpected loss of Craig ‘muMs’ Grant,” the post read. “We’ll forever miss our friend, brother, LAB member, Emcee, mentor, poet, actor, spoken-word giant, and fire-breathing teddy bear. muMs’ presence, performances, and words inspired a generation. His legacy will live on, from the Bronx and into the beyond. Keep rocking the mic, Schemer!”
On the acclaimed Oz, which ran from 1997 to 2003, Grant portrayed Arnold “Poet” Jackson, a heroin addict and prisoner who recites poetry for other inmates.
Grant worked with a number of revered filmmakers such as Spike Lee, appearing in the director’s films BlacKkKlansman and Bamboozled. He also played Cash Jackson in the recent Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It.
His big-screen credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman, and the Safdie brothers’ Good Time.
Born Craig Grant in New York City, the entertainer got his start through a documentary titled “SlamNation,” which saw him and the Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team competing at the 1996 National Poetry Slam, according to Entertainment Weekly.
His poems were also featured on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam.”
On television, Grant appeared in series like Dave Chappelle’s, Chappelle’s Show, The Sopranos, Law & Order: SVU, Boston Legal, The Knick, Horace and Pete, and Luke Cage. At the time of his death, Grant was shooting a recurring role on Starz’s Hightown and was set to wrap a recurring arc on Tyler Perry’s BET+ show All the Queen’s Men.
He recently reteamed with Soderbergh for the film No Sudden Move starring Jon Hamm, Benicio del Toro, and Don Cheadle.
Grant joined the city’s LAByrinth Theater Company alongside the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. LABryinth staged Grant’s autobiographical one-man show A Sucker Emcee, which detailed his coming of age in the Bronx.
Grant was in talks with the National Black Theatre and The Public to stage it in open-air venues this summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Those who knew and worked with Grant mourned the loss on social media as hundreds of posts on Twitter and Instagram began to pour out their admiration for his talent and heart.
He recently wrapped a role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, starring Jon Hamm, Benicio Del Toro, and Don Cheadle. At the time of his death, Grant had been filming a recurring role on Starz’s Hightown and was scheduled to travel to Atlanta next week to wrap up an arc on Tyler Perry’s BET+ series All the Queen’s Men.
His other film credits include Monsters and Men, Breaking Point, The Good Heart, Ball Don’t Lie, Interview, and Dark Water.
On Broadway, Grant took part in the annual The 24 Hours Plays four times during the 2000s.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of one of the most genuine, caring, loving souls we have ever had the pleasure of representing,” his longtime representatives Ellipsis Entertainment Group, Headline Talent Agency, and Ellis Talent Group said in a joint statement. “Craig was more than our client, he was our dear friend. We all just lost a phenomenal man.”
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