"Playing King T'Challa in Black Panther was the greatest honour of his career," said his family in a statement posted on Boseman's social media accounts. "He died at home, surrounded by his wife and family," the statement added.
"Playing King T'Challa in Black Panther was the greatest honour of his career," said his family in a statement posted on Boseman's social media accounts. "He died at home, surrounded by his wife and family," the statement added.
Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, Chadwick Boseman had never spoken publicly about his condition and had continued to shoot on the sets of major Hollywood films while undergoing "countless operations and chemotherapy", according to his family.
"He was a true fighter. Chadwick persevered through it all," his loved ones added in the statement.
The first black superhero
With "Black Panther", released in 2018, Boseman became the first black superhero to have a Marvel franchise film entirely devoted to him.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, "Black Panther" brought together, in addition to Boseman, a cast of some of the most sought-after black actors in Hollywood (Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya) and benefited from a huge production and promotional budget.
Adapted from the adventures of the first black superhero created by Marvel Comics in 1966, the film tells the story of King T'Challa's fight to defend his nation of Wakanda, the most advanced in the Marvel universe.
Emotional reactions
Before this role in "Black Panther", the biggest of his career, Chadwick Boseman played baseball legend Jackie Robinson in Brian Helgeland's "42" in 2013, the biggest success in Hollywood history for a baseball film. He was also praised for his portrayal of singer James Brown in Tate Taylor's "Get on Up" in 2014.
More recently, he appeared in Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods". He was also due to reprise the role of T'Challa in a second instalment of "Black Panther", scheduled for 2022.
The news of his death provoked emotional reactions beyond Hollywood. Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden was quick to salute the actor's memory. "The true power of Chadwick Boseman was greater than anything we've seen on screen", he tweeted.
by RTS.CH
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