1. To Be Young, Gifted, and Black
In the record-breaking 2018 movie Black Panther, Chadwick Bosemanâs character TâChalla (the Black Panther) meets his father on the ancestral plane. Itâs a realm where the spirits of those lost have their final resting place on the other side. Upon visiting the mysterious world for the first time, TâChalla is greeted by his fatherâwho heâs now in line to succeed on the throne. He tells his father, âI am not ready to be without you.â Itâs a powerful line in the film, but one that few could have guessed would be so relevant in just a few yearsâ time.
On August 28, 2020, the world learned that Chadwick Boseman had passed away at the age of 43. A man who had lived his life in the public eye kept a quiet battle against colon cancer private, and it left the world feeling like TâChalla: not ready to be without him.
Chadwick Boseman attends the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards at Barker Hangar on June 16, 2018, in Santa Monica, California. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for MTV)
Bosemanâs death had been announced on his social media platforms telling the story that very few people got to hear. His fight with cancer had stemmed back to 2016, where he received a stage III diagnosis. Nonetheless, the actor didnât let the news stop him from advancing in his career. He continued to act and make public appearances for the films he starred inâleaving his diagnosis unknown to everyone but his family. Even close colleagues had no idea of his condition, most learning about his struggle and his passing at the same time the social media post was shared.
The post also confirmed that Boseman had married his long-time partner, singer Taylor Simone Ledward. The two were first seen dating in 2015, but much of their relationship was kept private until the statement make their marriage public.
The post was shared on both Instagram and Twitter and quickly received a lot of attention. The Instagram post as of this publishing has well over 18 million likes, making it one of the most-liked pictures on Instagram. And on Twitter, the announcement broke records as well. Collecting over 3 million retweets and 7.7 million likes, Twitter announced a day later that it had become the platformâs most-liked tweet to date. Bosemanâs name began trending all over social media as fans, celebrities, and notable figures from all over paid their respects to Boseman online. And itâs no wonder that the news of his passing received so much attention.
Chadwick Boseman attends the Get on Up premiere at the Apollo Theater on July 21, 2014, in New York City. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Boseman was not only a star with a brilliant résumé of films behind him, but he was so in demand that even after starring in Black Panther, he had many more projects to come.
He had biopics such as 42, Get on Up, and Marshall under his belt. He played Black Panther not just once in his solo movie, but also appearing in the megahits Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and the No. 1 movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame.
Following those movies, Boseman starred in 21 Bridges and Spike Leeâs Da 5 Bloods. And heâs even appeared in a wealth of television shows ranging from having parts in Law & Order and CSI: NY to hosting Saturday Night Live. Those few roles, of course, only scratch the surface of his life as an actor, but it shows just how much of an effect heâs had on pop culture in recent years. Boseman even has a few projects that will now be released posthumously, including a film adaptation of the August Wilson play Ma Raineyâs Black Bottom and a voice role in the animated Marvel series What IfâŠ?.
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