“Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman passes away at the age of 43 after battling with cancer. Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and followed complications from the deadly disease he died at home with his family and wife by his side, a statement posted on his Twitter handle reveals.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all and brought you so many of the films you have come to love so much,” read the statement.
“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.”
Chadwick played the role of King T’Challa in the boundary-breaking film “Black Panther,” which made him become a global icon and an inspiring symbol of Black Power. That role thus was the “honor of (Bosman’s) career,” the statement added.
The South Carolina native graduated in 2000 from Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, DC. He also attended the British American Drama Academy at Oxford in 1998 while at Howard University.
“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!” the University President Wayne A.I. Frederick said in a statement
Meanwhile, his breakout performance was recorded as when he played Jackie Robinson in the movie “42” in 2013.
“His transcendent performance in ’42’ will stand the test of time and serve as a powerful vehicle to tell Jackie’s story to audiences for generations to come,” Major League Baseball tweeted on Friday.
In 2016, Boseman made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as T’Challa/Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War.” However, in 2018, Black Panther got his own stand-alone movie that debuted in 2018 and broke the box office records. Meanwhile, it was already announced by Marvel Studios president that the second movie of the “Black Panther” saga would debut in theaters in May 2022.
Chadwick Boseman also starred in other movies, including playing James Brown in “Get On Up” and Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall.”
When he returned to his alma mater in 2018 to give the commencement speech, he reminisced on his early days acting on operas.
“The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose,” he said at the time. He concluded with his iconic “Wakanda Forever” salute.
Boseman was a superhero to many, including Martin Luther King III, who said he “brought history to life.”
“As Black Panther, he was also a superhero to many,” Luther wrote on Twitter. “And despite his 4 year-long battle with cancer, he kept fighting and he kept inspiring. He will be missed.”
While the NAACP also paid tribute to the actor, saying Bosman showed “us how to conquer adversity with grace.”
“For showing us how to ‘Say it Loud!’ For (showing) us how to walk as a King, without losing the common touch. For showing us just how powerful we are,” their Instagram statement said. “Thank you #ChadwickBoseman.”
Rest in Power, Chadwick Boseman. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family.
