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‘Oz’ Actor Granville Adams Dies 1 Year After Cancer Diagnosis

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Fans and fellow “Oz” stars had rallied around Granville Adams through a GoFundMe page that raised more than $100,000 for cancer treatments and medical bills prior to his death.

Granville Adams

Granville Adams. Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images.

Granville Adams, who played Zahir Arif on the HBO show “Oz,” died yesterday, after a “long hard-fought battle with cancer,” according to an Instagram post by his wife, Christina.

Adams received his diagnosis in 2020 and kept fans and loved ones updated through his Instagram account. As treatment costs mounted — and Adams was unable to work — Tom Fontana, the creator of “Oz” and co-star Dean Gerard started a GoFundMe fundraising page to help with medical bills.

“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,” the GoFundMe page stated.

To-date, the page has raised over $100,000, thanks, in part to a $10,000 donation from Tom Fontana, and $5,000 donations from “Oz” actors Eamonn Walker, J.K. Simmons and Dean Winters.

“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,” Adams’ wife wrote on Instagram.

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