Chadwick Boseman, the star of Black Panther, an actor who brought to life many beautiful characters on screen and a man who became a real-life superhero for a whole generation has passed away from cancer on August 28th, 2020. He was 43. He died surrounded by his family in his LA home. For the past few days, everyone who knew him and everyone who’s seen him on screen has been mourning this loss. He was a brilliant actor and an even more incredible person. He’s admired and mourned by millions and we’re seeing countless tributes online from his fans and colleagues.
Chadwick was born in a little town in South Carolina, in a working-class family. His mother was a nurse and his father worked multiple jobs including working on a corporate farm, a side job doing upholstering and would often take even third shifts. Chadwich was the youngest of three children in his family and as a kid, nothing could’ve prepared him for the success he reached in his 30s. Chadwick has shared in his interview that what made him interested in the arts was his older brother who was a dancer. He was inspired by his determination and that’s what gave him the idea to move to New York and pursue becoming an artist. He dreamed of becoming a director originally but during his time at Howard University his acting class teacher inspired him to try acting as well. He was later accepted to the British American Drama Academy in England, and his acting teacher helped him to finance the trip there with additional financing from Denzel Washington.
It was clear to his teachers from the very beginning that Chadwick was a talented young man. He was always interested not only in acting but also in history and his heritage. He worked at an African bookstore during his time in college and worked at the Research Center For Black Culture in Harlem where he taught acting to students. It was a great honour for him to play the role of T’Challa in Black Panther, and the subsequent Captain America and Avengers movies.
Chadwick was a private person, so few people apart from his family knew that he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2016 that later progressed to stage 4 and ultimately killed him. It’s now, after his passing that we find out Chadwick was filming all those movies in between surgeries and chemotherapy sessions.
Many of his colleagues have posted about what an honour it was to know and work with Chadwick, and how strong and talented of a person he was. Oprah Winfrey has posted on Twitter saying that Chadwick was a gifted soul and praising his dignity in the face of cancer.
Tom Holland, who plays Spiderman, posted a photo of Chadwick on Instagram and said that he was a hero not only in the movies but also in real life, a role model for millions across the globe, and that it was a pleasure to be his friend.
Mark Ruffalo, known for playing Hulk, also posted on Instagram commenting that Chadwick was a profoundly talented man, one of the greats and that it’s a tragedy that he has been taken from us when his greatness was only beginning.
Barack Obama has posted on Twitter saying that when Chadwick visited the White House to work with kids it was clear right away that this man was blessed. Michelle Obama called Chadwick a real hero and thanked him for giving a whole generation of kids someone to look up to.
Fans online have been posting their own words of sadness and gratitude for Chadwick Boseman, some shared photos of their kids mourning the loss of Black Panther and saluting with the already classic “Wakanda – forever” gesture. Rest in peace, King.
