Photo: Instagram/@chadwickboseman
Actor Chadwick Boseman, who starred as King T’Challa in the 2018 hit film Black Panther, died on Friday at the age of 43. Boseman had been battling colon cancer since 2016, according to a statement that was posted to his Twitter account.
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you so many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy.” Boseman died at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by his wife and other family members.
There was an enormous outpouring of grief on social media following the news, with tributes coming from dozens of notable figures, from the Oscar-winning actors Denzel Washington (“The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose. – Chadwick Boseman”) and Viola Davis, to athletes like LeBron James (“rest in paradise King”), as well as Spike Lee and Oprah Winfrey and former president Barack Obama, who wrote, “To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years.” He was even honored at the beginning of an NBA playoff game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic on Saturday afternoon.
A graduate of Howard University, Boseman was known for portraying influential Black figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall. His performance in Black Panther won him an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, with Angela Bassett, one of his co-stars from the film, writing in a moving tribute on Instagram, “This young man’s dedication was awe-inspiring, his smile contagious, his talent unreal. So I pay tribute to a beautiful spirit, a consummate artist, a soulful brother…’thou aren’t not dead but flown afar…’ All you possessed, Chadwick, you freely gave. Rest now, sweet prince. #WakandaForever.”
Many of Boseman’s Marvel co-stars have offered their own remembrances on social media:
All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of #ChadwickBoseman. What a man, and what an immense talent. Brother, you were one of the all time greats and your greatness was only beginning. Lord love ya. Rest in power, King.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 29, 2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEdRm6aBMPw/?utm_source=ig_embed
I don’t have words. Rest In Peace, Bruh. Thank you for all you did while you were here. Thank you for being a friend. You are loved. You will be missed. 🤜🏿🤛🏿 https://t.co/8rK4dWmorq
— Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) August 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/DonCheadle/status/1299538219449552896
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who was the subject of Boseman’s last tweet, spoke out in his memory on Friday, tweeting, “Heartbroken. My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble. He left too early but his life made a difference. Sending my sincere condolences to his family.”
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Originally posted on Vogue.com
