Danai Gurira Celebrates Heroism of ‘Black Panther’ Co-star Chadwick Boseman: ‘How Do You Honor a King?

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(L-R) Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o and Chadwick Boseman (Getty)

*Actress Danai Gurira celebrated her late friend and “Black Panther” costar Chadwick Boseman for being a real-life hero. 

“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,” she said in a statement on Instagram and Twitter on Sunday.

In “Black Panther,” Gurira plays Okoye, General of the Dora Milaje and the head of Wakandan armed forces, while Boseman plays the title character. 

“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,” Gurira shared in her tribute. “A true class act. And so perfectly equipped to take on the responsibility of leading the franchise that changed everything for Black representation.”

Check out her post below. 

READ MORE: Jackie Robinson’s Daughter: Chadwick Boseman and Dad Are Having A Reunion in Heaven / WATCH

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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. 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.

A post shared by Danai Gurira (@danaigurira) on


Gurira goes on to write, “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,” Gurira said. 

“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 concluded her post with the Zulu phrase “Lala Ngoxolo Kumkani,” which translates to: “Sleep in peace, O king.”

Boseman’s family confirmed his death on Friday at the age of 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. 

“Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV,” the family wrote in a statement ⁣on social media.

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” the statement continued. “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.” ⁣

The family also said, “It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”

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