Chadwick Boseman, the star of Marvel's 'Black Panther', has died at the age of 43.
In a statement released early this morning, it was revealed that Boseman had been battling colon cancer for over four years, beginning with Stage III colon cancer and progressing to Stage IV. The statement added that Boseman starred in movies such as 'Marshall', 'Black Panther', Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods', 'Avengers: Infinity War', and several more while he was undergoing chemotherapy and surgeries.
The statement concludes that Boseman died in his home, surrounded by his wife Taylor Simone Ledward and his family. Already, there's been an outpouring of tributes from his co-stars and fellow actors. Angela Bassett, who played his on-screen mother in 'Black Panther', described her first meeting with him at Howard University, where he was a student at the time and she was receiving an honorary degree. "This young man's dedication was awe-inspiring, his smile contagious, his talent unreal...All you possessed, Chadwick, you freely gave."
Mark Ruffalo, who starred alongside Boseman in 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame', described him as "a generous and sincere human being," while Democrat candidates Vice President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both offered condolences. Indeed, Boseman's final tweet was in support of Kamala Harris, sharing a picture of the two hugging at a rally. "His true power of Chadwick Boseman was bigger than anything we saw on screen," Biden wrote. "From the Black Panther to Jackie Robinson, he inspired generations and showed them they can be anything they want — even superheroes."
Boseman's final performance, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', is a drama based on the play of the same name and will see him star opposite Viola Davis and follows the story of the earliest African-American professional singers, and one of the first generation of blues singers to record music in '20s Chicago. The movie is set to be released at some stage in 2020.
