Former President Barack Obama of the United States of America has paid a tribute to his friend, and Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman, whose death was announced on Friday by his family.
Barack Obama taking to his official social media accounts on Saturday 29th August 2020, posted a photo of their last encounter which was during Chadwick Boseman’s visit to the White House, with a glowing tribute as a caption.
The immediate past President of the United States in his caption said:
“Chadwick Boseman came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson. You could tell right away that he was blessed. To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years,” he said.
In a statement released by his family, Chadwick Boseman who was the iconic “Black Panther” star, died at age 43 after a 4-year battle with colon cancer.
The statement from his family on Friday, reads:
“It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV.”
They continue that “it was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”
“He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side”
Born in South Carolina, he always had an affinity for theatre, and wrote his first play in high school. He attended the famous HBCU, Howard University, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine arts.
He started his career in writing and directing, but clearly, he was meant to be on the other side of the camera. He took the world by storm in 2013 in the role of Jackie Robinson in “42.”
On playing that role, Chadwick said, “The story is relevant because we still stand on his shoulders. He started something – I would even say maybe he didn’t even start it, it started before him. But he carried the torch. And he carried it alone for a period of time before other people could help him.”
Clearly, he forwarded the narrative of that, as he moved on to play one of the most influential roles of a generation in the portrayal of T’Challa, aka Black Panther.
Since the sad news of his death on Friday, his colleagues in the movie industry, and sportsmen and women and fans have been paying tributes to the late star.