I got the news last night when my mother walked into the room and uttered with stone-cold seriousness, “Chadwick Boseman is dead.” My eyes widened, my mouth slightly gaped, and in an instant, tears were in my eyes.

I’ve seen Boseman over the last two years and deep down, I knew something was wrong. I knew something was wrong when he stepped onto the stage during the Screen Actors Guild Awards and my family and I noticed how skinny he was. I noticed when I saw him in a video on Instagram earlier this year and his skinniness shocked me. But I didn’t want to believe my eyes. I didn’t want to know the obvious truth that what I was seeing was real. Boseman was sick and it was only a matter of time before that sickness would become public talk.

Those words my mother spoke last night, “Chadwick Boseman is dead” are echoing through my soul today as I write this post.

I’m devastated. Utterly devastated. Us as African-Americans don’t get a lot and in movies, heh, we don’t nearly get enough characters and heroes to be inspired by. It took Marvel Studios 10 years to give the world a film featuring a black superhero but it was worth the wait.

Boseman delivered a performance that would change the world, inspiring adults and children alike across the globe as he portrayed a powerful, dignified, and good king in Black Panther that seemed more than just a superhero. He was an instant legend in a world that too long hadn’t seen inspirational heroes that look like him on the big screen.

Wakanda Forever was the greeting in 2018. In 2019, he was the first to step out of that portal in Endgame, unleashing a roar of joy in theaters around the world. And even this year, in 2020 his role in Da 5 Bloods was amazing! He was inspiring and powerful, leaving me in awe as the film went on.

I’m just…I can’t believe this is happening. Boseman was such an incredible and dignified black actor, portraying black heroes that have changed our world; Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thergood Marshall, and of course, King T’Challa a.k.a Black Panther.

2020 has been a year that will be remembered as a time of sorrow. So many terrible things have happened and now this! I just…like I’ve said before, I’m devastated.

We will miss you Chadwick Boseman with your smile and your dignified presence, even on the big screen. You were truly a KING.

R.I.Peace and in Power.