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During the peak of Black Panther fever, Chadwick Boseman and those closest to him were celebrating a deeply personal triumph.
Simone Ledward-Boseman, in a heartfelt interview on Today, shared insights into the events of 2018 when the Marvel sensation captured the world’s attention. Behind the scenes, however, a very different story was unfolding.
In a conversation with Craig Melvin on Friday, March 20, Simone candidly discussed her late husband’s battle with colon cancer, a fight that began in 2016 and was kept away from the public eye.
“It was a beautiful year,” Simone reminisced about 2018, even as tears welled up. “Talking about the good times is often more challenging than the bad.”
While global audiences were captivated by Boseman’s iconic portrayal of T’Challa, Simone recalls that time as one of immense happiness and quiet solace. The couple, who would marry in 2020, embraced the film’s overwhelming success while cherishing this private victory together.
“Yeah, Panther came out in February, to see how deeply, deeply and globally impactful that film was, I just don’t have any words for it,” the emotional widow shared. “He was just so deserving of all the success and kids were dressing up like him and people are buying out theaters and taking school kids to watch this film, and he’s just being celebrated everywhere we go.”
“It did feel like, you know, they didn’t know we were celebrating that he had a clear scan, but we were celebrating that too. It felt like we got another chance,” Simone continued.
That sense of hope, however, would be short-lived. Boseman’s cancer returned in 2019, and he died in August 2020 at the age of 43. Throughout his illness, the actor chose not to publicly disclose his diagnosis.
Looking back on those early days, Simone said she and Boseman initially felt optimistic about his prognosis.
“I think when he was initially diagnosed, we both felt very sure that he would make it through,” Simone recalled. “It was gonna be a challenging moment, but something that he would come out on the other side of and be fine.”
She added that her husband was “of course” scared at the time — but ultimately determined not to let his illness define him or slow him down.
That decision to keep his diagnosis private, Simone explained, was entirely intentional.
“What’s more important about Chad is the way that he lived,” Simone explained. “The fact that he wouldn’t let cancer get in the way of what he was here to do, let that be the lesson.”
As for where she is now in her grief, Simone offered a candid reflection on how loss evolves over time.
“You know, the edges get less sharp, I think, is the best way to put it. There are still edges.”
Over the course of his career, Boseman brought a string of real-life icons to the screen — including Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall — while also leaving an indelible mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He later earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, cementing a legacy that continues to resonate both on and off screen.