Danai Gurira paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman following recent news that the actor died at 43 [1] after privately battling colon cancer for four years. Danai, who appeared as Okoye in Black Panther alongside Chadwick, wrote in a statement shared to Instagram [2] on Aug. 30, "How do you honour a king? Reeling from the loss of my colleague, my friend, my brother. Struggling for words. Nothing feels adequate."
Danai went on to praise Chadwick's "pure hearted," "generous," and "zen" spirit, as well as his acting talents. "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," she said. "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."
In addition to her moving words, Danai shared a photo of herself hugging Chadwick at the Black Panther premiere in 2018 and a shot of on-set director chairs featuring the names of Okoye and T'Challa. Danai's post comes shortly after Ryan Coogler, who directed Black Panther, also honoured Chadwick in a beautiful statement [3].
Read Danai's tribute in full below.
"How do you honour 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. Honour 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.
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.
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.
Lala Ngoxolo Kumkani."