Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer after fighting it for four years on August 29th, 2020, and the world feels emptier without him in it. He was an inspiration to millions of people, especially those in the black community. Boseman portrayed some of the most famous black icons in American history, real and fictional. from America's first African-American professional baseball player, Jackie Robinson, in 42 to the King of Wakanda, T'Challa, in Black Panther, and several more movies as the Marvel superhero.
Following his death, directors, actors, friends, and colleague, who worked alongside him in these movies gave their condolences to his family and heartfelt appreciations for the actor. Ryan Coogler in particular gave his own tribute to Boseman, which detailed his deep admiration for Boseman, his dedication to the role of Black Panther, and his warmth as a person.
Yesterday, in celebration of Chadwick Boseman, ABC announced that they would have a showing of Black Panther, commercial free, followed by an ABC news special titled Chadwick Boseman - A Tribute for a King. Now, the opening to that segment has been released online for everyone to see.
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The entire opening segment for this ABC news special, Chadwick Boseman - A Tribute for a King featured dozens of Marvel Cinematic Universe stars paying tribute to Boseman.
Don Cheadle
"I didn't have enough time with Chadwick. I mean it's a statement that I know everyone is making and everyone can make because he was here far too short a time."
Scarlett Johansson
"Chadwick was a deeply kind and gentle person, and very present and thoughtful and those qualities are all so present in his work."
Mark Ruffalo
"He's a historical figure as the Black Panther, but also such a good and decent human being."
Jeremy Renner
"Chadwick, my friend. You will forever be remembered by your warm smile, your kind heart and your fierce courageousness through diversity."
Sebastian Stan
"You just wanna follow the guy into anything, you know?"
Clark Gregg
"From the moment Chadwick stepped on screen, you just bought it."
Tom Hiddleston
"He was always grace and humility personified."
Simu Liu
"I know that I ride the coattails of his success, that I stand on his great shoulders."
Benedict Cumberbatch
"How you held yourself will live on."
Evangeline Lilly
"He gave us and all of our children an example of a great, gracious and humble leader."
Pom Klementieff
"Thank you for inspiring us and the kids around the world."
Elizabeth Olsen
"It's only fit to be morning him like a king."
Josh Brolin
"I just love you man. Have a wonderful journey, wherever it is that you're going they're luck to have you."
Paul Rudd
"I thought back to all of those performances and all those incredible people that he's played and I realize I don't think that you can do it as convincingly as he did if he didn't possess that same grace in real life. you can't act that."
Winston Duke
"You were the last person I thought would leave us. You were the last person I thought could leave us so soon. And not just my friend and not just my hero, you were my superhero, you were my Black Panther."
Chris Evans
"It's a tough loss. He had that power in his heart to define a generation. He is that generation defining actor."
The full clip of tribute videos was released online by Reddit user webslinginghero:
Good Morning America also had multiple interviews with other MCU stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Forest Whitaker, who gave their own thoughts and feelings on Boseman, his passing, and legacy. This entire special helped put in perspective Chadwick Boseman's career as an actor, his push for representation of black culture and history, and the effect he had on people all around him.
Additionally, the "Chadwick Boseman - A Tribute for a King" ABC's news special notched over 6 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults under 50. It became the #1 show in the demo and likely the top rated broadcast show in the demo for the week, meaning many tuned into this touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman an actor, activist, friend, and husband.
