‘Oz’ star Granville Adams dead of cancer at 58

Granville Adams, who starred as Zahir Arif on HBO’s “Oz,” has died following a lengthy struggle with cancer.

“Oz” showrunner and executive producer Tom Fontana confirmed Adams’ passing in a tribute posted to Instagram on Sunday.

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“Goodnight, sweet prince/and flights of angels sing thee to they rest,” Fontana wrote.

Fontana along with “Oz” star Dean Winters launched a GoFundMe page earlier this year to help Adams, 58, and his family manage mounting medical bills, according to both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

“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 in the online fundraiser. “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….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.”

Meanwhile, Winters paid his own respects to Adams on Instagram.

“I first met Granny in 1992 and I immediately drank the Kool Aid,” Winters wrote in part. “His smile was infectious, 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… A humble, beautiful soul who just elevated the afterlife to a whole new level. You will be missed my friend.”

In addition to portraying Arif in all 48 episodes of the gritty prison drama, Adams also starred on “Homicide: Life on the Street” from 1996 to 1999 and appeared on “Empire,” Variety reported.

Meanwhile, “Oz” costar Kirk Acevedo remembered Adams on Twitter.

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