Lupita Nyong'o's Powerful Tribute to Chadwick Boseman Will Encourage You to Live With Purpose

From Oprah Magazine

• Chadwick Boseman died following a four-year battle with colon cancer.

• His Black Panther costar Lupita Nyong'o just posted a powerful tribute to him.

• She said she's unable to process this news at the moment but is dedicated to living her life with purpose—the way Chadwick lived his.

Two weeks ago, Chadwick Boseman passed away after a four-year battle with stage III colon cancer. His reps confirmed he died in his home and surrounded by his family. In the days and weeks since, his costars and fans have shown an outpouring of love, support, and thanks for his art, philanthropic work, and for being a leader in Hollywood.

After taking her time to try to process the news, Chadwick's Black Panther costar Lupita Nyong'o wrote about their time on set and everything Chadwick taught her in their short time together.

She started, "I write these words from a place of hopelessness, to honor a man who had great hope. I am struggling to think and speak about my friend, Chadwick Boseman, in the past tense. It doesn't make sense. The news of his passing is a punch to my gut every morning." The Oscar winner added, "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."

She went on to explain how Chadwick seemed to operate from a "higher frequency" and set a high bar for everyone when it came to work ethic and "generosity of spirit." She recalled, "His large hands would descend on my shoulders and give them a squeeze that relieved me of the tensions I did not realize I was holding. Chadwick's hands were strong enough to carry the weight of the film and free enough to clasp mine when I needed it."

Lupita continued, "He loved, honored, and respected that body, doing more with it than most. In doing so, he took the risk to be alive, fully alive. So it seems that it was life that gave up on Chadwick long before Chadwick gave up on life..."

And while writing about how being around him made her want to be a better person who was "less petty" and "more purposeful," she shared:

Chadwick may be gone, and while Lupita is understandably unable to "take in" this horrible news right now, she knows "his power lives on and will reverberate for generations to come."

You can read her full statement here:

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