Wu-Tang Clan founding member Oliver ‘Power’ Grant dies

Oliver ‘Power’ Grant, a close associate of the Wu-Tang Clan, has died.

On Wednesday, a representative for the hip-hop collective announced via Instagram that the entrepreneur-producer had passed away. He was 52.

“Rest in Power, Power,” they captioned a snippet of an interview with Grant.

A cause of death was not disclosed.

Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man, born Clifford Smith Jr., led tributes by posting a throwback photo of himself and his longtime friend.

“Paradise my Brother safe Travels!!” he wrote, adding: “Bruh I am not ok.”

While Raekwon, real name Corey Woods, shared, “POWER we been everywhere… now you everywhere ! The most high is merciful love you,” and GZA, also known as Gary Grice, declared, “We couldn’t have done it without him. Wu wouldn’t have come to fruition without Power. His passing is a profound loss to us all. My deepest condolences to the fam.”

Born in Jamaica and raised in Staten Island, Grant was involved in the formation of the Wu-Tang Clan in the early ’90s and served as an executive producer on the group’s albums.

However, he was primarily known for launching the popular clothing line Wu Wear, which was carried in major department stores.  

“That was all me. I had a crew of people who worked with me and helped me achieve and do the things that I wanted to do,” he told Complex back in 2011. “But that was all my direction, based on how I saw it. At the end of the day, it was just something I made for us, for them to project to the people. They never really actively took a part in it like that, although they were influential in the styling of what it was, just from being who they are and me knowing them as my friends, and now, my business partners.”

In addition, Grant took on some acting roles, appearing as Knowledge in the 1998 crime drama Belly and as Rich Bower in 1999’s Black and White.

He also developed and produced the hit 1999 video game, Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style.