Family, friends and fans honored Chadwick Boseman as the late Black Panther actor was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Boseman died of colon cancer in 2020 at age 43. He was posthumously recognized Thursday, Nov. 20, on Hollywood Boulevard across from the famed TCL Chinese Theatre.
Despite heavy rains in Los Angeles, fans lined the street and Boseman’s Black Panther co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Letitia Wright sat in the audience under a tent. They were joined by Disney CEO Bob Iger and Boseman’s brothers Derrick L. Boseman and Kevin Boseman.
Related: Netflix Partners With Howard University for $5.4M Scholarship Fund in Honor of Chadwick Boseman
The late actor’s widow Simone Ledward-Boseman unveiled the star and was presented with a proclamation from the Los Angeles City Council.
“What a joy it is to be here today to celebrate someone we love so dearly,” Ledward-Boseman told the audience.
“Chad, today we recognize a lifetime of artistry. We recognize your skill and your devotion and we cement your legacy as a hero and icon,” she said. “You lived with honor and you walked in truth. You were as brilliant as you were beautiful and as courageous as you were kind. We love you, we miss you, and we thank you.”
Filmmaker Ryan Coogler and actress Viola Davis also spoke at the ceremony.
Davis co-starred with Boseman in the 2020 film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which marked the late actor’s last role and earned him an Oscar nomination.
The actress described Boseman as a “mighty, mighty elixir.”
“I celebrate him today. And I say to him, I hope all the angels in heaven just sang him to a beautiful rest,” Davis said. “And I thank him for what he left behind in me, which is a burning ember that always guides me to a higher meaning of my work and my purpose.”
Coogler, who was Boseman’s friend and directed him in Black Panther, became emotional and asked the audience to be patient as he talked about the performer.
“When I think of Chadwick Boseman I think of three things: leadership, teaching and generosity,” Coogler said. “He was an incredible leader.”
Boseman was awarded the 2,828th star on the L.A. landmark. The actor was best known for his roles in Black Panther, Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, and writer-director Brian Helgeland’s sports drama, 42.
The South Carolina native graduated from Howard University and began his acting career with small roles on the television series Law & Order, ER, Cold Case, and Lincoln Heights.
His breakout role came in 2013, when he starred as baseball legend Jackie Robinson in 42. Boseman continued to portray real-life figures and starred as James Brown in Get On Up (2014), and as Supreme Court justice and fellow Howard alum Thurgood Marshall, in Marshall (2017).
He found his biggest box office success as King T’Challa in Marvel’s Black Panther (2018). Boseman won an NAACP Image Award in 2019 for his work as T’Challa. He also received a BET Award for the role.
He was celebrated with a posthumous Primetime Emmy Award in the outstanding character voice-over category for voicing an alternate universe version of T’Challa in the Marvel-Disney+ series What If…?
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