Actor Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the Black Panther on the big screen, died Friday after a four-year battle with cancer, his family said in a statement on social media. He was 43.
Boseman had not spoken about his bout with cancer, and his death came as a shock to many.
He died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his family by his side.
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The actor was diagnosed with colon cancer about four years ago, according to a statement from his family.
Boseman was a mainstay of the Black Panther franchise and also appeared in Avengers and Captain America movies. He also played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown in feature films.
“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 in the statement. “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 NAACP paid tribute to the actor on Twitter, praising him for “showing us how to conquer adversity with grace … for showing us just how powerful we are,”
Oscar-winner Matthew A. Cherry, who spent three seasons as a wide receiver on various NFL teams before turning to filmmaking, praised Boseman’s strength.
“Chadwick was really out here shooting all of these huge action movies while fighting stage 4 colon cancer. Man. Strong isn’t even the word,” Cherry tweeted Friday night.
Writer Roxane Gay said the news was devastating. “My heart goes out to his family,” she said on Twitter.
Filmmaker Jordan Peele said the loss of Boseman was a “crushing blow.”
Janelle Griffith contributed.