"He was a special person": "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler dedicates emotional farewells to the late Chadwick Boseman.
The shock and grief over the surprising and far too early cancer death of actor Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020) at the age of only 43 runs deep. Numerous Hollywood stars, including his Marvel colleagues, have already remembered the deceased on social networks. Now "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler (34, "Creed – Rocky's Legacy") has found particularly moving farewell words. The statement went to several US sites. Coogler met Chadwick Boseman in 2016, the year the actor received his colon cancer diagnosis.
Like "epic fireworks"
"Chad valued his privacy very much, and I was not privy to the details of his illness," writes Ryan Coogler. After the official death notification from Boseman's family, he realized that he had been living with the disease "since I had known him". The actor protected his colleagues from his suffering, in the spirit of a leader and because he was a man to whom faith, dignity and pride were important. "He had a wonderful life," said Coogler. He also made "great" films.
Boseman was like "an epic fireworks display" and "a special person". He describes the "Black Panther" leading actor as an "anomaly", as "calm", someone who was sure of himself but always wanted to learn. He calls it "gracious" and "encouraging". According to Coogler, Boseman had the warmest laugh in the world and eyes that conveyed profundity far beyond his age, but could still sparkle like a child who sees something for the first time.
Ryan Coogler already worked on "Black Panther 2"
Chadwick Boseman was aware of the cultural significance of "Black Panther". According to the director, he did something extraordinary for his performance as T'Challa. The sequel "Black Panther 2" was announced for May 2022. Ryan Coogler was already preparing.
"I've spent the last year thinking and writing words for him, but we weren't meant to see this." It breaks his heart to know that he will never see a close-up of Boseman again or ask him to repeat a scene. But it hurts him even more that "we will not have any more conversation" and they can no longer exchange text messages. Boseman sent him vegetarian recipes and nutrition tips during the corona pandemic. "He will watch over us until we meet again."
Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, 2020 at the age of 43 in the presence of his wife Simone and his family. In 2016, he was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. He did not make his illness public. In the past four years he has fought against it, with countless surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, but the cancer reached stage IV. Marvel and Disney have not yet given any information on whether or how the sequel to "Black Panther" will continue.