Just 3 months after Chadwick Boseman tragically lost his life to cancer, his Marvel co-stars, friends and fans paid tribute on what would have been his 44th birthday.
Chadwick Boseman will forever be missed. The Black Panther star sadly died on Aug. 28 after a years-long battle with colon cancer which was kept private from the public eye. Many of his co-stars and friends paid tribute on what would have been his 44th birthday, sharing sweet photos and memories of their time with Chadwick — including his Marvel co-stars Lupita Nyong’o, 37, and Mark Ruffalo, 53.
Lupita shared an old photo of the two sharing a candid moment at a red carpet event. “Deeply loved, sorely missed. #ChadwickBoseman,” she captioned the image, posted to her Instagram account. In Black Panther, Lupita’s Nakia shared an on-screen romance with Chadwick’s King T’Challa/Black Panther. Mark Ruffalo, who shared the screen with Chadwick in other Marvel films, also took to social media to pay tribute.
“Thinking of your passion, love, and your light today, @ChadwickBoseman. Happy Birthday. Wishing we could time travel back to this moment,” The Avengers star captioned an old video from set. In the clip, Chadwick could be seen dressed in-costume as King T’Challa as cast and crew sang him happy birthday and cheered. Chadwick’s bright, warm smile lit up in the short video, which was so sweet to see.
Frozen‘s Josh Gad shared a photo of the two from the 2018 premiere of Black Panther. “Happy birthday my friend,” the actor began his caption. “I know the angels are celebrating on high with you today. Miss you every day @chadwickboseman,” he added. The pair became close friends after working on film Marshall, where the Anderson, South Carolina native played the first African-American Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall. The movie was one of seven Chadwick filmed during his four-year cancer battle.
Marvel also paid tribute with a beautifully produced opening montage of the film, which is the first-ever featuring a Black superhero lead. “Long live the King. #WakandaForever,” the tweeted caption read, including illustrations and footage of Chadwick in character as the Black Panther. Typically, the Marvel Studios opening features a montage of Stan Lee‘s characters, but this one was a pure tribute to Chadwick and his groundbreaking role.
Viola Davis, who worked with Chadwick on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, shared a loving post about the bright star. “Happy birthday in Heaven, Chadwick! You are still so alive to me!! I love you,” the Oscar winner posted, including an angelic meme of the actor. Singer Common tweeted several photos of the actor, adding “Chadwick Boseman would have turned 44 years old today. Happy Birthday King. God Bless You. Thank you for using your gift to bring light to this world. RIP.”