You’ve heard of the Spotify wrap-ups by now, as screenshots of the ever-fascinating “your top songs and artists” were shared ad nauseam on Instagram stories last month. This Monday, Twitter also released its end-of-year recap. The final tweet from Chadwick Boseman’s account, announcing his untimely death from colon cancer on August 28th, tops the list as the most retweeted tweet of 2020. The post is also the most-liked tweet of all time.
The tweet is accompanied by two beautiful, black-and-white photographs of Boseman. It reads in part, “it is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV.”
The tweet goes on to assure Boseman’s millions of devastated fans that he passed away in the comfort of his home, “with his wife and family by his side.”
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020
Previously, President Barack Obama held the honor of the most liked tweet of all time for his 2017 tweet quoting Nelson Mandela. The tweet was part of a series and racked in 4.2 million likes. About 3 million fewer than Boseman’s death announcement.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…" pic.twitter.com/InZ58zkoAm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
Boseman boasted a long list of acting credits (his first acting role was at 6 in All My Children), though he may be best known for his portrayal of T’Challah in Marvel’s Black Panther.
The powerful performance moved and inspired a generation, and Boseman became America’s hero.
At Disney Investor Day on Thursday, the head of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, announced that Boseman’s part in Black Panther will not be recast for the sequel.
Kevin Feige confirms they will not recast the role of #BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/GmxyvuYNpy
— Film Updates Back-Up (@TheFilmUpdates) December 11, 2020
Feige called Boseman “an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally.” He went on to state “[Boseman’s] portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past.”
Boseman’s last film, a presentation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, with Denzel Washington is set to stream on Netflix, December 19.
If you’re looking for something else to remember Boseman by, check this out.
