“Black Panther” Stars, Celebrities React to the Passing of Chadwick Boseman

“He expanded my realm of possibility and showed us just how big we can dream.”

August 30, 2020

Celebrities, including stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are honoring the immeasurable impact of Chadwick Boseman. On Friday, August 28, it was confirmed that the actor, 43, had passed away after a four year battle with colon cancer, and since then, tributes to the Black Panther star have continued to pour in on social media.

Chadwick's Black Panther costars including Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, and Letitia Wright shared their memories of the star throughout the weekend. “I don’t have words. Rest In Peace, Bruh. Thank you for all you did while you were here. Thank you for being a friend. You are loved. You will be missed,” Sterling wrote.

Angela shared a photo of the two together from the Black Panther premiere, touching on her belief that it was fate for the pair to play mother and son in the 2018 film. “Our story began long before his historic turn as Black Panther. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard University, his alma mater, he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were, years later as friends and colleagues, enjoying the most glorious night ever,” she said.

Letitia tweeted a brief message early on August 30, writing: "this hurts. really hurts."

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Actors within the Marvel Universe also reflected on Chadwick's legacy, including Brie Larson, who starred as Captain Marvel; Chris Evans, who portrayed Captain America; Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor throughout eight Marvel films; Mark Ruffalo, known for his role as the Hulk; War Machine actor Don Cheadle; Tom Holland, who has donned Spider-Man's suit; Robert Downey Jr. AKA Iron Man; and Guardians of the Galaxy's Chis Pratt and Zoe Saldana.

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Howard University, Chadwick's alma mater, and where he gave the 2018 commencement address, shared a statement celebrating the actor, writing: "His incredible talent will forever be immortalized through his characters and through his own personal journey from student to superhero! Rest in Power!"

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Other members of Hollywood and those in the political sphere reflected on Chadwick's life. Yara Shahidi wrote that she is “sitting in gratitude” for all that Chadwick had done, adding, “With his grace, his presence, his characters, he reflected our beauty and power. He made our blackness a global celebration. He expanded my realm of possibility and showed us just how big we can dream." Joey King also noted that “Chadwick Boseman defied the odds of his disease and gifted us with so many great characters all while suffering the darkness and pain of cancer.”