NEWSChadwick Boseman Didn’t Want Many People To Know About His Cancer Battle
The celebrated actor Chadwick Boseman’s death came as a surprise to many. The 43-year-old succumbed to colon cancer after fighting against it for four years. Now, sources close to the actor are recalling the final months of his illness.
Michael Greene, the agent of the Black Panther star, stated that the reasons he had only shared the details of his health with only a few friends was because of his mother, Carolyn.
His mother always taught him “not to have people fuss over him.”
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Greene said that the actor also “felt in this business that people trip out about things, and he was a very, very private person.”
It was trainer Addison Henderson who helped him prepare for the Marvel role amid his battle with cancer.
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“I used to tell Chad, ‘Man, you remind me of my dad,’” he recalled, referring to his dad who beat cancer four times. “’You guys are fighters, and you never stop moving forward.’ For us, it was just like, ‘Let’s keep going, let’s keep doing what you want to do, let’s keep training.’ And then, me and producing partner Logan Coles and his family, his wife Taylor Simone Ledward, we were always just here to support him.”
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The president of Howard University — the actor’s alma mater — Dr. Wayne A.A. Fredrick, spoke about how Boseman deflected the question on his health during a dinner they had together in 2019.
“In his usual style, he gave a long, detailed answer, explaining that he was a vegetarian and was exercising and trying to take care of himself and do what he had to do,” he said. “It was a very thoughtful response, never letting on that anything else was happening.”
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He went on to explain how Boseman “was really in hard-core pain” as the cancer progressed. Despite the disease getting worse, the idea of working with Denzel Washington “to launch this cycle of playwright August Wilson at Netflix was so exciting to him.”
The late actor’s publicist had confirmed US Weekly on Aug 28 that the actor passed away at his home with his family by his side.
“Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage IV,” a statement read. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. 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.”
