Chadwick Boseman was an actor who brought joy to many people all around the world. Known for his presence in The Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and 42, he brought the characters he portrayed to life and made connections with his audience.

After being diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, Boseman passed away on Aug. 28 at the age of 43 in his Los Angeles, California home. The news of his death shocked many of his fans because he decided to keep his illness private. 

Throughout his acting career, Boseman has been recognized for his talent in many different ways. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor in the Black Panther in 2018, a BET Award for Best Actor in Avengers: Infinity War in 2019 and a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor in Marshall in 2018. In addition to this, he won a BET award for best actor in Marshall and Black Panther in 2018, a BET award for Outstanding Actor in Black Panther in 2019 and an MTV Movie + TV award for Best Performance in a Movie for the movie Black Panther and Best Hero for Black Panther in 2018.

Those are just a few of many of his accomplishments over his years as an actor. He played many important roles over the course of his career. Before his passing he was working on his last movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom where he plays the character Levee. 

Because of his decision to keep his illness private, many people had concerns about him regarding the way his appearance changed.They left comments showing their concerns, asking if he was ill and worrying about his weight loss. Some people even said they didn’t even recognize him. His fans had no way of knowing what he was dealing with at the time.

“When I found out that Chadwick Boseman had died I was shocked because despite being a huge fan, I had no idea that he had been battling cancer over the past years,” Rachel Graff, Junior at Miami Palmetto Senior High School said. “He was an amazing actor and person who was clearly loved by all of his colleagues. The news was so sad and definitely heartbreaking. The characters Chadwick embodied and he himself were great role models and hero figures.”

On many social media platforms, people have reached out with tributes; on Tik Tok, a dance trend started in his honor and on “Instagram” people are commenting on his past posts showing their grief and support for his family.

“His death was really devastating for me, as it was for millions of people that have watched him. I remember seeing 42 in theaters and being so moved that I went home and read a bunch of books of JR,” Miranda Shapiro, Senior at MPSH said. “I’ve been a huge MCU fan since I was little and when Black Panther came out it instantly became my favorite. Chadwick led a movement in Hollywood for more diversity in film and was an idol for me and so many more people. His work in the film industry will go down in history.”

Boseman not only left his impact through his acting, but also from his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. One major way he did so was by using his “Instagram” platform, with 11.3 million followers, to spread awareness of the pressing issue and spoke out for people who couldn’t reach as big an audience as he could. It is important for people that have these big platforms to reach out and speak of issues going on in the world.