Chadwick Boseman , star of the ground- breaking superhero movie “ Black Panther, ” has died from colon cancer .
This was made known via his verified Twitter handle @ chadwickboseman.
As also reported by the AFP , Boseman , who was in his 40s , had not publicly discussed his condition — which was first diagnosed in 2016 — and continued to work on major Hollywood films.
“ It was the honor of his career to bring King T’ Challa to life in Black Panther , ” said a statement posted to Boseman ’ s social media accounts .
“ He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side. ”
Boseman became the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the record-breaking Marvel franchise with 2018’ s “ Black Panther. ”
The movie , 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 over $1 billion worldwide.
Earlier in his career, Boseman played black icons Jackie Robinson in “ 42” and James Brown in “ Get on Up . ”
He recently appeared in Spike Lee ’ s “ Da 5 Bloods” and was set to appear in a sequel to “ Black Panther” due in 2022.
“ A true fighter , Chadwick persevered through it all ” and filmed projects “ during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy , ” the family’ s statement said .
(Twitter/ AFP)
