Wu-Tang Clan co-founder Oliver “Power” Grant has died at 52.
Grant’s passing was confirmed by Okayplayer.
“A driving force behind one of hip-hop’s most influential movements, Power helped build a global legacy rooted in independence, ownership, and culture,” the publication wrote on X/Twitter.
“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.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters.”
Grant played a pivotal role in the early years of Wu-Tang Clan, including overseeing the group’s business empire.
“Rest in Power, Power,” Wu-Tang Clan posted on their official Instagram account. Fellow Wu-Tang member Method Man wrote, “Paradise my Brother safe Travels!!” on Instagram alongside a photo of himself with Grant. “Bruh I am not ok.”
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Grant grew up in Staten Island, New York City, alongside the future members of Wu-Tang Clan. He helped gather financing in 1992 for the group’s debut single “Protect Ya Neck”.
The following year, he served as executive producer on the group’s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). He also founded their wildly successful clothing label Wu Wear. “We were so hot and on fire throughout those first years that phones rung off the hook for anything Wu-related,” Grant said in 2011. “Wu was so fresh and so new, the money that I was earning from the record business, I was spending actively just trying to get a start in business.”
In the 2019-2023 Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Grant was played by Marcus Callender. “The first conversation we ever had, we spoke for like three hours,” Callendar said in 2023. “It was a very surreal moment. He never gave me a pointer and said, ‘Do it like this, do it like that.’ It was never like that. All he told me was stories.”
