Black Panther superhero actor Chadwick Boseman has died
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Chadwick Boseman, the performer of Marvel Studios superhero Black Panther, died of colon cancer at just 43 years old. He had been ill since 2016, before becoming a star.
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Read moreWith our correspondent in Los Angeles,Loïc Pialat
In a world sorely lacking in black superheroes, Black Panther quickly became a phenomenon when it was released in 2018. Global cardboard, critical success, he made Chadwick Boseman a star but also an idol for millions of kids who found finally a superhero who looked like them on the big screen.
" Playing King T'Challa in Black Panther had been the great honor of his career, " his family said in a statement posted on Boseman's social media accounts. " He died at home, surrounded by his wife and his family, " adds the text.
Before playing the Marvel character, the actor played real heroes of the African American community: baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42 alongside Harrison Ford, James Brown in Get on up and Thurgood Marshall, the first black judge of the Supreme Court.
Cancer diagnosed in 2016
We had also seen it very recently on Netflix in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods . The sequel to Black Panther was also due out in 2022.
Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, Chadwick Boseman had never publicly spoken of his condition and had continued to shoot on the sets of major Hollywood films while undergoing " countless operations and chemotherapy ", further clarified his family. “He was a real fighter. Chadwick has persevered through it all , ”his relatives added in the statement.
The Academy of Oscars evokes " an immeasurable loss " while the Marvel studios say they are " heartbroken ". Joe Biden, Democratic White House candidate, praised an artist who inspired generations by showing them they can become anyone, even superheroes.
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