Chadwick Boseman, star of "Black Panther", dies of cancer at age 43

 

Picture appears courtesy of Mr. Porter.

Chadwick Boseman, who played the lead role in Black Panther as T'Challa, has died of cancer at age 43 on Friday, August 28th. He was diagonsed with colon cancer since 2016, battling with it while doing the filming of the popular Marvel movie. Boseman also starred in other films too, including his lead role as Jackie Robinson in 42.

It's not just Boseman that has died this year. We have seen many black deaths this year alone, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Back in January, Kobe Bryant and his daughter had died in a helicopter crash, which occured the same day as the 62nd Grammy Awards. Rep. Ron Lewis also died last month after being diagonsed with pancreatic cancer in 2019. Other people who have also died this year have included Naya Rivera, C.T. Vivian, Andre Harrell and Hall of Fame Gerogetown basketball coach John Thompson, who became the first black coach to win an NCAA championship.

The Activist Martin Luther King the 3rd has called Boseman's death, "a great loss". Gil Robertson, the president of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) also said that black people are at their critical crossroads of surviving in the United States.

Many fans of Boseman's performance in Black Panther have used #WakandaForever in his memoriam.