Denzel Washington Says Chadwick Boseman Lived to the Fullest Before He Passed Away
It’s been three weeks since Chadwick Boseman passed away from colon cancer at age 43, and Denzel Washington gave what some might consider a unique perspective on his death.
Washington spoke about Boseman on Thursday, Sept. 17, while talking to director Barry Levinson at the Toronto Film Festival and said the “Black Panther” star, whom he called a “gentle soul,” lived a full life. The “Training Day” actor once paid for Boseman’s tuition so he could attend a summer program at the British American Drama Academy.
“He didn’t get cheated we did,” said Washington,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I pray for his poor wife and his family. They got cheated, but he lived a full life.”
Boseman battled colon cancer for four years before passing away and never told the public about his diagnosis, a decision that his mother helped him reach.
People all over the world mourned his death after news spread and there will be a statue put up of him in his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina.
He was also honored at Anderson Events Center amphitheater in Anderson, South Carolina, on Thursday, Sept. 3, where locals and people from out of town came to pay tribute to him and watch “Black Panther.”
Elsewhere during his conversation, Washington talked about becoming emotional after seeing “Black Panther,” because he knew the lives of Boseman and Ryan Coogler, who directed the film, had changed forever.
“I went backstage and I saw Chad and I saw Ryan Coogler, and then I watched the movie and I remember shedding a tear, because I thought, man, these young guys are gone. Like they’d taken over.”
On Sunday, Sept. 20, Boseman was honored at the 2020 Emmy Awards by singer H.E.R., who sang Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” She also paid tribute to other actors who recently passed away, like Diahann Carol, who died at age 84 last October, and Naya Rivera, who drowned at 33 in a boating accident in July.
