Lupita Nyong’o pays tribute to Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman on third anniversary of his death

Lupita Nyong’o has paid a touching tribute to her Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman on the third anniversary of his death.

Boseman, who passed away 28 August, 2020 from colon cancer, had never discussed his diagnosis in public, leading Nyong’o to write “the confusion” over his death “was so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again.”

Boseman and Nyong’o starred together in Marvel’s Black Panther (2018), with Boseman playing King T’Challa and Nyong’o portraying Nakia. The film grossed over $1 billion and made history after it was nominated for seven Oscars, winning three.

Boseman passed away before filming for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever began, with the plot killing off his character and showing the Kingdom of Wakanda plunged into mourning. Earlier this year it was announced Boseman would be posthumously honoured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of motion pictures as part of the class of 2024.

Nyong’o honoured her former co-star and friend in a touching tribute on Instagram.

Posting a black and white photo of Boseman on Instagram, Nyong’o wrote: “Three years ago today, I experienced a singular pain at the news of @chadwickboseman’s death. The confusion was so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again.”

She continued: “This is a photo I took on film at the airport as we arrived in South Korea in 2018. We had just learned to do the baby heart with our fingers. Here Chadwick was adding his suave flare. We spent a glorious 72 hours there, and the memory fills me with so much joy.”

She added: “Death is hard to understand, maybe even harder to accept. But the love generated from the life he lived will fuel every anniversary marking his absence. Chadwick may no longer be in our photos, but he will always be in our hearts.”

What happened to Chadwick Boseman?

Boseman passed away from colon cancer on 28 August, 2020 at the age of 43. In a statement shared at the time of his death, his family revealed that he had been battling cancer for four years, but he had not spoken publicly about his diagnosis.

Best known for his role as King T’Challa in Black Panther, he first gained the attention of Hollywood after his 2013 performance alongside Harrison Ford in baseball movie 42. His T’Challa character was first introduced to Marvel fans in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and his signature Wakanda Forever salute has been remembered by fans ever since.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pays tribute to Boseman and portrays Shuri, played by Letitia Wright dealing with his death. Wright, who found out about Boseman’s death over email, told ET ahead of the sequels release, that she would “honour Chad”.

Wright said: “I promised myself I would honour God and I would honour Chad because I have a talent and I have to use it.

“This character’s a blessing. The reason I have the role of Shuri is because of Chad. Him saying, ‘Yo, this is my sister, stop auditioning people.’”