Lupita Nyong’o remembers Chadwick Boseman as friends honor the third anniversary of his passing
The news of Boseman's cancer diagnosis didn't go public, leaving fans and colleagues shocked in the wake of his passing.
Actress Lupita Nyong’o posted a tribute to her late “Black Panther” co-star Chadwick Boseman on Instagram three years after he passed away from colon cancer.
Boseman portrayed the titular character T’challa in the Marvel blockbuster, while Nyong’o played Nakia, a spy and his love interest. The grief she felt upon learning of Boseman’s death was “so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again,” Nyong’o wrote on IG on Aug. 28, Variety reports.
Her Instagram post features a throwback photo of Boseman from 2018 when they arrived in South Korea and “just learned to do the baby heart with our fingers,” she wrote.
“Three years ago today, I experienced a singular pain at the news of Chadwick Boseman’s death,” Nyong’o wrote in the tribute to the beloved actor who passed away on August 28, 2020, at age 43.
Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017, his family said in a statement, theGrio reported.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said at the time. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more – all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”
The news of Boseman’s cancer diagnosis didn’t go public, leaving fans and colleagues shocked in the wake of his passing.
“Death is hard to understand, maybe even harder to accept,” Nyong’o continued. “But the love generated from the life he lived will fuel every anniversary marking his absence. Chadwick may no longer be in our photos, but he will always be in our hearts.”
“Black Panther” grossed over $1 billion worldwide. It’s the first Marvel movie to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The cast won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble.
Boseman died before “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” filming began. According to Box Office Mojo, the sequel opened in theaters in November 2022 and earned over $850 million worldwide.
Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s sister in the Marvel film, honored Boseman Monday on her Instagram stories, Deadline reports. She reposted a video of Boseman, Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira at a photoshoot, captioning the clip, “Always Celebrating You King. Love Always.”
“Black Panther” star Daniel Kaluuya also took to his Instagram stories to share a throwback photo of Boseman and Gurira.
Nyong’o said in a 2021 interview that Boseman’s death was “still extremely raw” for her while filming the sequel.
Both “Black Panther” films are streaming on Disney+.
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