Movie star Chadwick Boseman, who played numerous ground-breaking Black Americans including Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall in bio-pics, died on Friday evening. He was 43.
After a four-year long battle with colon cancer, Boseman, probably best known for the lead role in the 2018 hit “The Black Panther,” passed away in his home with his family, including his wife, by his side.
Since his death, there have been countless postings and broken hearts on social media. Martin Luther King III, eldest son of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey and many more celebrities turned to twitter and other social media platforms to express their respect for Boseman. King wrote, “Despite his 4 yearlong battle with cancer, he kept fighting and he kept inspiring. He will be missed.”
After he was diagnosed with the fatal disease, Boseman did not let it stop him from being a hero to many by doing what he loves. Since 2016, the year of his colon cancer discovery, he still managed to star in 10 movies including “Black Panther” in 2018. He was also featured in a few other films, including this summer’s release of Spike Lee’s “da 5 Bloods,” while still receiving chemotherapy and several surgeries.
Boseman was a ground-breaking actor in the African American community. The movie “Black Panther” was a hit and a success for Marvel, but it was a win for Black people all around the world.
Boseman graduated from the historically Black university, Howard, so it was important to him to implement Black excellence in the making of not only “Black Panther,” but in all of his films.
According to CNN entertainment, Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a statement, on Friday “It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of alumnus Chadwick Boseman who passed away this evening. His incredible talent will forever be immortalized through his characters and through his own personal journey from student to superhero! Rest in Power, Chadwick!”
King T’challa is the first mainstream Black superhero and he touched many hearts. Winfrey described him as “a gentle GIFTED soul.”
The caring actor made it a point to ensure that his friends, family and even strangers were OK and felt important. After the release of “Black Panther,” Boseman made it a point to visit children’s hospitals so that the children could be inspired and have something to look forward to.