It was revealed on August 29 that Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman passed away after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
His Marshall co-star, Josh Gad, is now mourning his passing, and took to Twitter to share a screenshot of a lengthy text message sent to him by the star just weeks into the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Breaking my twitter silence to share some beauty,” Gad wrote on Twitter. “This was one of my final texts from the brilliant & once-in-lifetime talent, @chadwickboseman – take this in & celebrate life. He knew how precious every moment was. Tonight the Heavens received one of its most powerful angels.”
The message that Boseman sent Gad revolved around trying to find the beauty within nature, even during the most difficult times.
“If you are in Los Angeles, you woke up this morning to the rare and peaceful sound of steady precipitation. If you’re like me, maybe you looked at the week’s forecast and found that it’s supposed to rain for three straight days; not without breaks of sunlight and reprieves of moist gloom, but yeah it’s gonna be coming down like cats and dog,” Boseman wrote.
“Great. We’re stuck inside these damn quarantines because of the COVID, and now we can’t even get no sun in Cali. Come on now! But now that the rain has stopped and today’s storm has cleared, I urge you to go outside and take a DEEP breath. Notice how fresh the air is right now, after our skies have had a 3 week break from the usual relentless barrage of fumes from bumper to bumper LA commuters, and now today’s rain has given the City of Angels a long overdo [sic] and much-needed shower.”
“Inhale and exhale this moment,” he continued. “Thank God for the unique beauties and wonders of the day. We should take advantage of every moment we can to enjoy the simplicity of God’s creation, whether it be clear skies and sun or clouded over with gloom. And hey, if the air is this clear right now, and it does rain tomorrow, I might even put jars and bins out and catch the rain. Throw that in the water filter and I have a water more alkaline than any bottled brand out there.”
Gad also took to Instagram to reflect on his relationship with the actor in an emotional video.
The South Carolina-born star passed away at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, his family confirmed in a statement.
Posting to social media, Boseman's family revealed that he had in fact been diagnosed with the disease back in 2016 - choosing to keep the situation away from the public eye as he continued to make movies. They also revealed that Boseman had been surrounded by loved ones when he passed, writing:
"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," his family said in the statement. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and several more - all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther."
