Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman has died at age 43 after a years-long-battle with cancer. Boseman passed at his Los Angeles home in the company of his wife and family, his team stated on the actor’s Instagram page.
“It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” the Instagram post states. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you 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.
“It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther. The family thanks you for your love and prayers, and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
In addition to his superlative portrayal of King T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame), Boseman was renowned as an actor for his noteworthy portrayal of baseball icon Jackie Robinson in the 2013 film 42 (Boseman’s passing occurred on a day observed as “Jackie Robinson Day” in Major League Baseball.) Boseman also gained notoriety for his striking portrayals of other real-life figures, such as singer, songwriter, musician and dancer James Brown in 2014’s Get On Up and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Thurgood Marshall in 2017’s Marshall. More recently, he starred in 2019’s 21 Bridges, an American action thriller film directed by Brian Kirk and 2020’s Da 5 Bloods, an American war drama directed by Spike Lee, where Boseman played the leader of a group of Black soldiers in Vietnam. Boseman also is credited with a producer role for the Da 5 Bloods.
Marvel Studios issued a statement on Friday night, a statement with which we wholeheartedly agree. “Our hearts are broken and our thoughts are with Chadwick Boseman’s family. Your legacy will live on forever. Rest In Peace.”
Our hearts are broken and our thoughts are with Chadwick Boseman’s family. Your legacy will live on forever. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/DyibBLoBxz
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 29, 2020
Boseman won an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of the eponymous character in Black Panther. The film, in addition to its extreme cultural importance also was a box-office beast — the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe whose opening weekend domestic box office surpassed the cost of production and stands as the 4th-highest-grossing film of all time domestically.
Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, which eventually progressed to stage IV before 2020. He did not make his diagnosis a public matter.
