Oliver “Power” Grant, a founding member of the legendary hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan, has d!ed. He was 52.
Fellow Wu-Tang member Method Man confirmed Grant’s devastating passing in a touching Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Paradise my Brother safe Travels!!” Method Man, 54, wrote alongside a photo of the pair.
Grant’s death was also announced on Instagram by the hip-hop music site Okayplayer. He reportedly died on Feb. 23, although no cause of death has been announced.
“A driving force behind one of hip-hop’s most influential movements, Power helped build a global legacy rooted in independence, ownership and culture,” Okayplayer’s post began. “His belief in creative control and community empowerment helped shape not only a group, but a dynasty that changed music forever.
“His impact will live on through the culture he helped elevate and the countless lives he inspired,” the site added.
Born in Jamaica on Nov. 3, 1973, Grant later moved to New York City and grew up in Staten Island alongside key Wu-Tang members RZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna.
The late hip-hop associate went on to executive produce all of the storied rap crew’s records, as well as create the popular Wu Wear clothing line.
“My crew had plenty of skeptics, doubters, and non-believers,” Grant said in 2011 of the clothing line and how it helped solidify the Wu-Tang brand.
“It wasn’t anything personal, but I’d say that everyone is an individual and they didn’t really understand what I was doing or what I was initially trying to get across, or where I was coming from,” he added at the time.
Beyond his work with Wu-Tang from the group’s formation in 1992 until his death, Grant was also an actor who starred in “Belly” alongside Method Man in 1998 and “Black and White” the following year.
Other Wu-Tang members, including RZA, GZA, and Raekwon, also paid tribute to their late producer.
“We couldn’t have done it without him,” GZA, 59, wrote on Instagram Tuesday alongside four photos of Grant. “Wu wouldn’t have come to fruition without Power. His passing is a profound loss to us all. My deepest condolences to the fam.”
