Lupita Nyong’o Pays Tribute To Chadwick Boseman On Anniversary Of His Death: ‘He Will Always Be In Our Hearts’

Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o took time to celebrate the life and memory of the late Chadwick Boseman on Monday, Aug. 28. On what marked the third anniversary of his untimely passing; his Black Panther co-star shared a moment from their time together via Instagram.

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“Three years ago today, I experienced a singular pain at the news of Chadwick Boseman’s death,” she wrote. “The confusion was so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again.” The pair starred in Marvel’s cultural shifting film as childhood friends and lovers, Nakia and T’Challa, creating a genuine bond the actress still holds dear. “Death is hard to understand, maybe even harder to accept,” Nyong’o continued. “But the love generated from the life he lived will fuel every anniversary marking his absence. Chadwick may no longer be in our photos, but he will always be in our hearts.”

According to Variety, Nyong’o and Boseman’s other Black Panther castmates returned to film the highly-anticipated sequel in 2021 with heavy hearts—overcome with grief—only a few short months after his passing. Though feelings were “extremely raw” for her, Nyong’o says she leaned on the leadership of director Ryan Coogler, who changed the film’s storyline to pay tribute to Boseman and make space for the cast’s grieving, to help her heal.

“But at the same time we have a leader in [writer-director] Ryan [Coogler], who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well,” she added at the time. “And his idea, the way in which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world. So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.”