Chadwick Boseman Dies of Cancer At Age 43

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman died on Friday, August 28, 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He died at home with his family. Boseman was 43 years old.

A statement was posted on his Twitter account sharing the news. Boseman had been diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and fought it for four years until it progressed to stage IV. “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,” the statement reads.

“It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther,” the statement continues.

Boseman had a relatively short career in film, but his impact was significant. Hailing from Anderson, South Carolina, Boseman was born on November 29, 1976. He wrote his first play while a junior in high school after a classmate was shot and killed. After high school, Boseman studied at Howard University, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing, in 2000. From there, he attended London’s Oxford Mid-Summer Program of the British American Drama Academy with the plan of writing and directing. Back in the US, he graduated from the Digital Film Academy in New York City.

Boseman studied acting to better understand actors as a filmmaker, but decided to pursue that career path instead. In 2003 he started what would be a few years of guest spots on TV shows like Third Watch, Law & Order, and CSI: NY. After relocating to Los Angeles, Boseman had a recurring role on Lincoln Heights and starred in the series Persons Unknown.

Following a few more guest spots on TV, Boseman made his presence known in 2013 by starring as baseball legend Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball, in 42. A year later he starred in Draft Day as an NFL prospect. Also that year, he starred in another biopic, this time as soul singer James Brown, chronicling his rise from poverty to musical superstar in Get on Up.

In 2016, Boseman was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as T’Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. In a crowded field of large personalities and ostentatious abilities, Boseman played T’Challa as a regal, soft-spoken hero that belied the character’s impressive power and resources.

Two years later, that breakout introduction gave way to Black Panther. Boseman solidified T’Challa’s honorable nature and heroic determination to protect his people in what is widely considered among the best MCU films. He went on to play Black Panther two more times, first in Avengers: Infinity War where he was a leader during the final battle with Thanos’ forces, then in a smaller role during the last battle in Avengers: End Game.

His third major biopic, Marshall, came in 2017, playing Thurgood Marshall, the lawyer who would become the first Black Supreme Court Justice. After Avengers, he starred as a weary New York detective searching for cop killers in 21 Bridges. In 2020 he starred in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods about veterans returning to Vietnam to find their fallen leader and gold he helped them hide. His last completed project was in the musical drama Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom based on August Wilson’s play.

Boseman is survived by his wife Taylor Simone Ledward.