Chadwick Boseman's Wife Sheds Light On His Health Struggles Before His Tragic Death

Although he is known primarily for his role as T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman worked as an actor for over 15 years. Fans worldwide were heartbroken when Boseman's tragic death was reported; he died at just 43 years old of colon cancer in August 2020. Unbeknownst to the public, Boseman had been battling cancer even while filming some of his final films like "Da 5 Bloods" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," The New York Times reported. Even two years later, Boseman's impact is felt throughout the entertainment community.

Rihanna returned to music after a multi-year hiatus with her new song "Lift Me Up" for the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" soundtrack, which is a tribute to Boseman. Per Hollywood Life, the song was written by Rihanna, Tems, Ludwig Göransson, and "Wakanda Forever" director Ryan Coogler. And now — just ahead of the release of the second "Black Panther" film — Boseman's widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, is giving us a glimpse into their lives together in her first interview since the beloved actor's death.

While sitting down with Whoopi Goldberg on "Good Morning America," on Nov. 1, 2022, Simone Ledward Boseman outlined the kind of person her husband, Chadwick Boseman, was. It was her first interview since Chadwick died in August 2020. "I can't believe that I was so lucky," she told the outlet. "I can't believe that I got to love this person and I also got them to love me too. Sure, he was an actor and that was, there was a lot of fun stuff that we got to do. But he was an artist."

In her "GMA" interview, Ledward Boseman also explained it was difficult to keep her husband's health struggles private for the four years he battled colon cancer. She shared they had a small circle of people who knew about her husband's condition and protected it (and him.) And, even when the health battle got really tough, she said Boseman never let it show. She explained that Boseman worked tirelessly to get everything done, even in his sickness, because people depended on him. "He was so pure. He was so honest in everything," she said. "And he was so deserving because he was all of that no matter who was watching him."