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Black Panther’s Okoye, Danai Gurira, pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman: ‘Rest in peace, O king’
Danai Gurira has shared a long note to her ‘brother, king’ Chadwick Boseman, who died last week of colon cancer. Danai and Chadwick worked together in Black Panther.
Actor Danai Gurira is heartbroken at the death of her Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick died on Friday of colon cancer at 43 years old.
Danai, who played a member of Dora Milaje, Okoye in the film, called Chadwick her brother in her long Twitter post. “How do you honor a king? Reeling from the loss of my colleague, my friend, my brother. Struggling for words. Nothing feels adequate. I always marveled at how special Chadwick was. Such a pure hearted, profoundly generous, regal, fun guy. My entire job as Okoye was to respect and protect a king. Honor his leadership. Chadwick made that job profoundly easy. He was the epitome of kindness, elegance, diligence and grace. On many an occasion I would think how thankful I was that he was the leading man I was working closely with. A true class act. And so perfectly equipped to take on the responsibility of leading the franchise that changed everything for Black representation,” she said.
“He made everyone feel loved, heard and seen. He played great, iconic roles because he possessed inside of himself that connection to greatness to be able to so richly bring them to life. He had a heroic spirit, and marched to the beat of his own drum; hence his excellence as an artist and the incredible courage and determination as he faced life’s challenges; while still guiding us all,” she added.
Danai said she felt bad for the young kids who have lost a hero. “He was zen and sweet and funny (with the very best laugh), attentive, and truly, truly, good. I can’t even wrap my mind around this loss. A loss resonating in my own heart as well as around the globe. The children he inspired, my heart aches for them, to lose their hero just as they finally found him. I am so thankful to have taken the Black Panther journey with him. To have known him, spent time in his light and leadership and to call him forever a friend,” she wrote. She ended her note by writing, “Lala Ngoxolo Kumkani”, which means “Rest in peace, O king” in Xhosa.
Chadwick attained global stardom as T’Challa aka Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of films such as Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The actor fought a secret battle with the disease for four years, his family said in a statement posted on his official Twitter handle on Saturday.
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler also said that he “wasn’t privy to the details of his illness”, adding Chadwick was “living with his illness the entire time I knew him”. “Chad deeply valued his privacy, and I wasn’t privy to the details of his illness... Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering. He lived a beautiful life. And he made great art.
“Day after day, year after year. That was who he was. He was an epic firework display. I will tell stories about being there for some of the brilliant sparks till the end of my days. What an indelible mark he’s left for us,” the filmmaker said in a statement on Sunday obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Other Marvel stars such as Robert Downey Jr, Brie Larson, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo also mourned Chadwick’s death.
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