Actor Chadwick Boseman, who is best known for playing King T'Challa in Marvel's 'Black Panther' died Friday of cancer, his representative told the Associated Press.
Boseman was 43.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in a statement. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more- all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”
Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his family at his side. He had been diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer four years ago, according to the family's statement. He had not publicly revealed his diagnosis.
Born in South Carolina in 1976, he attended Howard University where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Before becoming world-famous for his role as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he worked as a drama instructor at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York. In 2008, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career where he would become known for playing Black icons such as Jackie Robinson, in "42" James Brown in "Get on Up" and Thurgood Marshall in "Marshall."
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