Chadwick Boseman passed away today from colon cancer at age 43. News of his passing broke on social media when his Twitter and Instagram accounts released a statement on his death.
“Chadwick was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage four,” it said, adding, “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 chemotherapies.”
“It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in ‘Black Panther.’”
Boseman’s death is a devastating loss to many. It’s especially painful learning that he was silently suffering from one of the most aggressive forms of cancer while bringing to life some of the most culturally significant roles of the 2010s. Knowing this recontextualizes his past performance, as well as his last one—“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” finished filming two weeks ago. He played as King T’Challa, the first African superhero in mainstream American comics, played as Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, all while being sick.
It also recontextualizes the memes and jokes that were made at his expense when he was promoting his films, with people calling out his physical appearance and theorizing why.
Many have paid tribute to Boseman on social media.
I’ll be turning on “Black Panther” and “Da 5 Bloods” tonight. Wakanda forever.
Featured photo screengrabbed from the “Black Panther” trailer
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