Legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan is mourning the loss of founding member Oliver “Power” Grant, who passed away at 52.
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The musician-turned-streetwear-clothing-mogul reportedly died on Monday. The cause of death is currently unknown.
Following the news, Wu-Tang Clan bandmates took to Instagram to pay tribute to Grant.
“Paradise my Brother safe Travels!! [broken heart emojis] [angry face emoji] #pookie #power Bruh I am not ok.” Method Man wrote.
Raekwon shared a throwback snapshot with him and Grant for his Instagram post. “‘A 5 star General in the army of life!” he wrote in the post’s caption. “They don’t make em like you anymore. thankyou BIG POWERFUL.’
He then stated, “We gave you that name for many reasons . may allah preserve a place for you and forgive ya sins . condolences to the Grant family ! rest well Pook.”
Meanwhile, RZA posted a black square with Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” as the background music. “5,” he captioned the post.
Along with the bandmates, music executive Steve Rifkind, who signed the Wu-Tang Clan to Loud Records, spoke out about Grant’s death.
“Power I can’t believe this,” Rifkind stated. “We met in May of 1993 and have been brothers since. The laughs the cries we traveled the world together. Strongest Handshake and Hug anybody can give.”
He continued, “I’m at loss of words keep on looking over us the way you always looked out for all of us when you were here. My condolences to you and your family and the WuTang Family just remember we made History.”
“Going to miss you like crazy rest in peace. #wutangforever,” he added.
Grant Co-Founded Wu-Tang Clan in the Early 1990s
Along with co-founding the hip-hop group, Grant was also an executive producer.
In 1995, he founded the Wu Wear clothing line.
“Wu Wear was pretty much like our entry in the fashion biz,” Grant stated during a 2011 interview. “But before I was in Wu Wear, I was making and marketing the first Wu records with RZA.”
He further shared, “Everything that we learned was hard knock life. You figure it out as you go along and take cues from those that are actively doing things. A lot of it was trial and error. There were no models.”
Grant and RZA teamed up with Live Nation Merchandise to relaunch the Wu Wear clothing line in 2017.