Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman, Dead at 43

The star of Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, has died of Colon cancer at 43. He fought a 4-year, courageous battle. He died at home with his wife and family by his side.

He was best known for his roles in Black Panther, 42, Get on Up and Marshall.

Boseman was raised a Christian and was a part of the church choir as a youth in Anderson, South Carolina. His mother was a nurse and his father worked at a textile factory.

As a junior in high school, he wrote his first play, Crossroads, and staged it at the school after a classmate was shot and killed.

Boseman attended Howard University and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in directing. One of his teachers was Phylicia Rashad.

He got his first television role in 2003, in an episode of Third Watch. His other early work included episodes of Law and Order, CSI:NY and ER.

Boseman landed his first starring role in the 2013 film 42. He also starred in indie film The Kill Hole.

In 2016 he started portraying the Marvel Comics character T’Challa/Black Panther, with Captain America: Civil War being his first film in a five-picture deal with Marvel. He headlined Black Panther in 2018.

In 2019, it was announced that Boseman was cast in the Netflix war drama film Da 5 Bloods, directed by Spike Lee. The film was released on June 12, 2020.

Today is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball honoring the first black player in the league. All players wear the number 42.

Chadwick was 43.