The ‘Black Panther’ actor departed to heaven last year but he lives on among the people who will forever cherish the everlasting impressions he left on them.
Majority of the world was in the dark about Chadwick’s illness. When the cancer finally took him, the loss was shocking and insurmountable. The world lost one of its most courageous and bravest artists on August 28 last year. However, the outpouring of love on his first death anniversary is a testament to his eternal soul as Chadwick Boseman is still remembered by everyone. The world would not have it any other way.
HIGHLIGHTS —
- Chadwick Boseman’s eternal presence.
- A legacy that created ripples for ages to come.
FROM ACTOR TO ANGEL
Chadwick created a mark wherever he went, he impacted whoever he met. He was compassionate, brilliant and resilient. He chose to not go public about his cancer diagnosis, which came in 2016. He wanted his work to connect with people, not his illness.
Given the impact Chadwick Boseman created and his vast legacy, countless co-stars and fans remembered him and paid tribute to his legacy on his first death anniversary. Chadwick would surely be smiling from heaven seeing all the love being shared on the online space which is often toxic and malignant.
One of the most heartfelt messages was put up by Josh Gad, Chadwick Boseman’s co-star from the film ‘Marshal’ which had earned Boseman immense critical acclaim. Josh Gad shared the last text he conveyed to Chadwick before he passed away on Twitter alongside a caption which lovingly referred to the late actor as “an angel on this planet” and a “saint on high.”
‘Black Panther‘ co-star Lupita Nyong’o also expressed her grief by tweeting that she misses the actor’s laughter and silence “in equal measure.” Moreover, another ‘Black Panther’ co-star Michael B. Jordan did not forget to express how much he missed T’Challa. In addition, Viola Davis who starred alongside Boseman in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ also conveyed her condolences.
HEART AND ART ON SLEEVES
Chadwick Boseman was nominated for a Best Actor award at this year’s Oscars for his performance in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.’ While it was not his best performance, the nomination was inevitable. A win also seemed obvious on the horizon as it would have been his first and last Oscar for Best Actor.
Luckily, he did not win. We say ‘luckily’ because Chadwick would have wanted it that way, to get recognized for his craft, not his death. In fact, he would have been elated by simply being nominated among his contemporaries. Chadwick didn’t care about the spotlight. His art and responsibilities as a storyteller mattered to him more.
This is how Chadwick Boseman created a legacy that will forever be remembered. Not only was he a great actor, he also made some tough creative calls behind-the-scenes which has earned him immense respect. It’s going to be heartwarming to see how ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ pays a homage to him.
‘Black Panther’, the most influential cultural phenomena for the African diaspora, would not have been possible without Chadwick Boseman’s constant attempts to not let the Best Picture Oscar-nominated film fall prey to stereotypes. Chadwick ensured that Wakanda was portrayed as an “aspirational” place where the African diaspora fulfilled its potential, liberated from European shackles.
This compelled him to fight with producers for an authentic accent for T’Challa rather than a European or Western accent. His vision was at the core of ‘Black Panther’, a film which made African diaspora feel seen, represented and proud, a film that displayed the diversity of Africa, a film which, like Chadwick, wore its art and heart on sleeves.
Chadwick was never trying to egotistically create ripples or build a legacy: he was merely trying to do right by his people. On the saintly occasion of his first death anniversary, a resonating artwork from artist Nikkolas Smith went viral. In the artwork, Chadwick is doing the Wakanda salute alongside a child who is wearing a Black Panther mask.
This is all what Chadwick wanted to do: make people connect with the hero within themselves and spread love and light in their communities, as he did. Chadwick Boseman left us corporeally a year ago but his legacy still lives on. Chadwick Boseman forever.
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