On August 28, Hollywood and much of the world was shocked by the death of Chadwick Boseman.  The 43-year-old American actor died of colon cancer, which he had been fighting for four years. 

Sixth-grader Leah Valencia-Escobar said, “When I found out the news, I was very, very, very sad.”

Boseman’s career spanned 18 movies, but he was most famous for the Marvel Cinematic Universe films including Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: Civil War.  Other notable performances included Boseman’s portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 42 his role playing James Brown in Get on Up.  His last film released was 21 Bridges. 

“My favorite movie of his would have to be Captain America: Civil War,” said eighth-grader Marshawn Dunning 

Boseman was born in Anderson, South Carolina to Carolyn and Leroy Boseman on November 29, 1976.  He was the only child to Carolyn and Leroy.  He studied directing at Howard University.  Boseman also secretly got married to Taylor Simone Ledward.  They had no kids together.

As Boseman’s career grew, he got to be on Saturday Night Live, Ellen, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. 

The funeral was on September 3. They kept the funeral lowkey by just inviting family and friends. This was in contrast to Kobe Bryant’s death earlier this year which had a public memorial held at the Staples Center.

Upset fans kept Boseman’s memory alive with social media posts about his impact as an actor and celebrity. 

Eighth-grader Celeste Carmona also stated, “I am a fan of him because he inspires a lot of people.”