Boseman's Last Text To Black Panther Producer Is Heartbreaking

The world is still processing the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star passed away at 43 from colon cancer, which he had secretly battled for years.

When the news broke on Aug. 28, 2020, fans responded with shock and grief, completely unaware that Boseman had been so sick for so long, while filming many different projects, including Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame, and Da 5 Bloods.

Even some of Boseman's closest co-stars and collaborators knew nothing about his diagnosis. Some fans did notice a few changes, like his substantial weight loss, but most attributed it to the typical kind of body transformations actors undergo for roles. Even the legendary Spike Lee, director of 2020's Da 5 Bloods, confirmed on Instagram that "Nobody knew" about his illness on set.

Boseman was not just an actor, but a role model who inspired on and off the screen. Black Panther was lauded not simply as one of the strongest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but as a major breakthrough in terms of representation in cinema, proving that movies centering on Black stories could perform at the box office.

As T'Challa, Boseman was the face of that notion, and his loss will surely be felt for a very long time. Although Boseman fought cancer privately, he also spent his time volunteering with children with cancer, working with charities like the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Boseman's work with Make-A-Wish was on his mind until the end of his life, according to Black Panther executive producer Nate Moore. In September 2020, Moore revealed to People that the last conversation he had with Boseman, via text, was regarding gifts the actor wanted to give to a child battling cancer. Moore recalled that it was more difficult than usual due to stay-at-home orders, saying

"It was during lockdown, and we worked together to get a young boy a voice note from T'Challa, as well as a package of toys...Chad figured out how to make it work because he cared so intently, and in hindsight, so personally."

Moore and Boseman were able to make the delivery, and Boseman followed up with what would be the last text between the two. Boseman wrote,

"It broke me, man. But we need to do that for them. People deserve abundant life, special moments...They've been through hell battling that disease. If we were able to ease their suffering and bring joy for a moment, and hopefully moments [as] he goes through the bags, then we made a difference in his life."

While it could be easy to read Boseman's interest in the situation as a reflection of his own illness, Moore doesn't think that was the case, saying:

"I think that's just who he was as a man. A leader and caregiver first, who accomplished both of those things as a performer and as a regular person."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation wasn't the only charity to benefit from Chadwick Boseman's generosity. St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital shared an Instagram photo following the actor's death, sharing a story of his visit to their hospital in 2018. The caption read:

"Two years ago, Chadwick visited the St. Jude campus and brought with him not only toys for our patients but also joy, courage, and inspiration. He was an incredible role model for our patients and for children from all around the world."

While promoting Black Panther, Boseman shared how important that type of work and giving back was to him, sharing a story of two terminally ill children that he communicated with during the production of the movie.

Boseman said their anticipation humbled him and pushed him to work harder because those children, who passed away before the movie was released, quote, "anticipated something great." As he choked up, co-stars Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira reached out to him.

Though Boseman's diagnosis wasn't the reason for his charity work, it undoubtedly gave him an additional window into the suffering of others, making him better able to understand what they were living with because he was living it too. As he told People in 2017,

"I definitely value the fact that I can change people's lives on a given day."

Not only could he change lives, but he did change lives.

#ChadwickBoseman #BlackPanther

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