‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43

Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died of cancer at the

Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died of cancer at the age of 43 on Friday.

The actor had been diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016. He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side.

The confirmation of the demise of the star was given by his team through a statement shared on Twitter.

“It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the 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,” the statement read.

Boseman became a household name after appearing as the Marvel superhero Black Panther in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and then in director Ryan Coogler’s 2018 film, which went on to gross over 1.3 billion dollars worldwide. He followed it up with two more appearances as the character in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. His most recent film appearance was in director Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, which released on Netflix earlier this year.

He was born and raised in Anderson, South Carolina. He got his first television role in 2003, in an episode of Third Watch. His first starring role came in the 2013 sports drama 42, in which he played the legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson. Boseman played another Black icon, judge Thurgood Marshall, in a 2017 biopic. He had signed on to appear as Black Panther in a sequel.

Boseman’s last tweet came on August 12. He had congratulated Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on her nomination.

COMMENTS