Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, 43, dies after private battle with cancer

• Actor Chadwick Boseman died at the age of 43.
• His publicist shared Friday that he had died after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
• The star was best known for his role as King TÇhalla in Black Panther. “It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life,” said a statement on Friday.

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Chadwick Boseman, star of groundbreaking superhero movie Black Panther, died after a four-year private battle with colon cancer, said his publicist AFP Friday.

Chadwick, 43, never spoke publicly of his condition and continued to work on major Hollywood movies during and between “countless” operations and chemotherapy, his family said in a statement.

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

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all,” the statement added.

Chadwick became the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in Marvel’s record-breaking franchise with 2018. Black Panther.

The film, set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences, becoming the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing more than $ 1 billion (R16.5 billion). ) Worldwide.

The news of Chadwick’s death shocked Hollywood and the whole world.

“The true power of @chadwickboseman was greater than anything we saw on the screen,” wrote Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

“From the Black Panther for Jackie Robinson, it inspired generations and showed them that they can be anything they want, even superheroes. “

Chadwick’s Marvel co-star Mark Ruffalo tweeted: “Brother, you were one of the greats of all time and your greatness was just beginning. God I love you. Rest in power, King.”

The NAACP, America’s leading civil rights organization, praised Chadwick for “showing us how to conquer adversity gracefully” and “walk like a king without losing the common touch.”

“#RestInPower #BlackPantherForever,” he concluded his tweet.

‘Hearts are broken’

Chadwick had recently appeared in Spike Lee’s Vietnam War. Give 5 Bloods, and was set to appear in a sequel to Black Panther two in 2022.

“Our hearts are broken and our thoughts go out to the Chadwick Boseman family. Your legacy will live on forever. Rest in peace,” wrote the official Marvel Twitter account.

His character T’Challa, king and protector of Wakanda’s advanced technology, was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics, having appeared in The Fantastic Four in 1966.

The Marvel movie was celebrated as an important cultural moment for its primarily black cast, and for subverting stereotypes by depicting a prosperous African country that accepts refugees and extends its culture and technology to poorer nations.

Chadwick shrugged off the skeptics who tried to convince him not to give the superhero an African accent.

“There was a period of time where people would ask me if the audience could sit down and watch a movie with a main character who spoke with that accent,” he said at the time.

“I became adamant about the fact that it is not true,” he added.

Born in South Carolina, the son of a nurse and an upholstery entrepreneur, Chadwick has roots in the West African state of Sierra Leone.

Before Marvel, he was best known for his acclaimed portrayal of the legendary Jackie Robinson in Brian Helgeland. 42 (2013), which had the highest-grossing debut for a baseball movie in Hollywood history.

He also received much praise for his portrayal of soul singer James Brown in Get up (2014), obtaining inclusion among the 10 best performances of 2014 by Time magazine.

Boseman died at his home “with his wife and family by his side,” the statement said.