As many of us are still grieving the loss of an icon, Lupita Nyong’o has broken her silence over the death of her Black Panther castmate and friend Chadwick Boseman.
Nyong’o took to social media on Tuesday to share a message about the beloved actor, who suddenly passed away in late August due to a four-year battle with colorectal cancer. “I write these words from a place of hopelessness, to honor a man who had great hope,” Lupita began. “I am struggling to think and speak about my friend, Chadwick Boseman, in the past tense. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I am aware that we are all mortal, but you come across some people in life that possess an immortal energy, that seem like they have existed before, that are exactly where they are supposed to always be – here! … that seem ageless… Chadwick was one of those people,” Nyong’o continued.
The actress and author said that the news of his death is a “punch to my gut every morning.” She went on to note that Chadwick was a man “who made the most of his time, and somehow also managed to take his time.”
Despite not knowing Boseman for very long, Nyong’o wrote that the actor had a “profound effect” on her life, and she recalled being “struck by his quiet, powerful presence” when they began working together on the Black Panther set.
She added: “Chadwick’s death is something that I can neither take in nor take in my stride right now. Perhaps with time… I’m going to take my time… and in his honor, I promise not to waste my time. I hope you will do the same.”