‘Black Panther’ Stars Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright & Winston Duke Mourn Chadwick Boseman: How Do You Honor A King?

‘Black Panther’ Stars Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright & Winston Duke Mourn Chadwick Boseman: How Do You Honor A King?

The love continues to pour in for Chadwick Boseman as his Black Panther co-stars break their silence on his passing.

Danai Gurira, who portrayed the role of Wakanda warrior Okoye in the 2018 film honored him on Instagram. The 42-year-old actress and playwright shared a photo Sunday (Aug. 30th) of the two embracing in a tight hug, showing a grinning Chadwick Boseman, as well as a photo of their “directors” chairs on set of Black Panther with their character names “T’Challa” and “Okoye” printed on the back.

Danai Gurira started her message in remembrance of her fallen friend with the question:

“How do you honor a king? Reeling from the loss of my colleague, my friend, my brother. Struggling for words. Nothing feels adequate.”

Danai Gurira then highlights all of the qualities Chadwick Boseman embodied, stating he was a man “perfectly equipped” to take on the immense responsibility of “leading a franchise that changed everything for black representation.”

“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.”

She adds:

“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.”

Danai shares how thankful she is to have not only worked with him but to have spent time with him and have the pleasure to call him a friend.

“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.”

Danai closes out her statement with a phrase in Zulu, which translates to “Sleep In Peace, O King”:

“Lala Ngoxolo Kumkani.”

Letitia Wright, who played the role of T’Challa’s little sister in Black Panther also broke her silence on his passing and tweeted:

“This hurts. This really hurts.”

Winston Duke, who played M’bBaku also saluted Chadwick Boseman on Instagram.

Chadwick Boseman passed away at the age of 43 on August 28th after fighting a silent battle against stage 4 colon cancer.

Condolences and prayers to the family, friends, and fans of Chadwick Boseman at this time.

By: @a.girlwhowrites