A Superhero Gone Too Soon

The shock death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman has been met with grief by his millions of fans

- Dennis Cavernelis

He’ll go down as one of the finest actors of his generation, a star who embodied the hopes and dreams of many – a superhero in every sense of the word.

Yet acting wasn’t something Chadwick Boseman dreamt of doing as a kid growing up in Anderson, South Carolina.

If it hadn’t been for his elder brother, a high school tragedy and the mom in The Cosby Show, the world may never have known the actor who brought Black Panther to such spectacular life.

And if that hadn’t happened, millions of people the world over wouldn’t now be mourning the loss of a man with talent and compassion – a man who fought a secret battle with colon cancer for four harrowing years.

Chadwick’s mom, Carolyn, was a nurse and his dad, Leroy, worked for an agricultural corporation. Eldest son Derrick (53) went on to become a preacher but second son Kevin (48) wanted to be a dancer. Carolyn and Leroy were incredulous at first, but Kevin stuck to his guns and young Chadwick was inspired by his brother’s resolve to follow his heart.

“He was like, ‘No – I have something; I’m going to do it anyway, right or wrong,’” Chadwick told the New York Times. “And he was right.”

Chadwick’s interest in the arts was triggered by heartbreak. A friend was murdered and Chadwick started writing as a way of processing his feelings, which motivated him to transform his grieving words into a play.