This news has me straight in the gut. “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman has just died after a 4-year battle with Colon Cancer. He was 43 years of age.
The late actor hid his cancer diagnosis for four years. Not many must have known about it., but If he was diagnosed in 2016 with Stage 3, that means he underwent treatment while filming Black Panther and Infinity War/Endgame among his other projects. Amazing that he could do that. He basically became a superstar while he knew he was dying. He didn’t spend those 4 years fielding question after question about the diagnosis. Cancer may take your life, but the attention to it from the prying eyes of the world takes the life out of the remaining life. It can be full of encouragement, but it’s such a focus that being able to live the best you can while the doctor’s fight it for you, becomes a tragedy in itself. This would explain why he lost so much weight the past year or so.
Boseman died after becoming a hero to millions, most importantly to Black children. You already couldn’t deny the social importance of “Black Panther,” but now it takes on a whole new meaning. There can’t be another one, I don’t even believe they should film the sequel (set for 2022 release). Disney should just scrap it.
He filmed 10 movies in a span of 4 years, all while fully knowing he was dying of cancer. What a testament of courage and strength. He never relented Of course, Boseman was much more than just a Marvel superhero, he also had a string of impressive performances in his resume. He was remarkably brilliant as James Brown in “Get On Up,” nailed the role of Jackie Robinson in “42” and was such a crowd-pleaser as Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall — those are three performances that should be seen and will most definitely stand the test of time.
The late actor is now a Legend, and he will be missed so much.