By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent
Hollywood stars have reflected on the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman on what would have been his 46th birthday.
Actors including Marvel co-stars Chris Pratt, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, and Sebastian Stan, as well as Kate Hudson, all urged fans to donate to his charity, the Boseman Foundation.
This year Boseman’s birthday of November 29 fell on Giving Tuesday, a “global initiative” taking place on the Tuesday after the US holiday of Thanksgiving.
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The actor died in 2020 at the age of 43 from colon cancer.
The Boseman Foundation said all donations would go to its non-profit, which helps “encourage, support and promote the intellectual, spiritual and artistic growth of young people of the African Diaspora”.
Black Panther star Gurira said Boseman had taught her “how to be a vessel for something bigger than myself”.
“Chadwick always took care of his community and showed me it’s a privilege to be a part of something bigger than yourself.
“He never faltered from being fully committed, fully present, confident, loving, artist, purposed, clear, kind and generous.
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“That type of example, that he left us all with is one that has deeply changed me and been a massive gift to my life and to my understanding of how to make use of it.
“How to be a vessel for something bigger than myself, that is what Chadwick taught me.”
Her caption was signed off: “Our King’s legacy will live on forever.”
Promoting the Boseman Foundation’s post, Pratt said Boseman was a “true leader”.
“He was strong, brave, loyal and most of all, he was empathetic,” he wrote on his Instagram story.
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“Chad was the kind of man who lit up a room when he walked in with a smile that didn’t end”.
Stan said he too had been thinking about the “gifts” that his co star had given him.
“I’ve been thinking about Chadwick today and reflecting on the legacy that he’s left behind,” he said.
“I was thinking about what a beautiful leader and human being he was and how much he’s inspired the world (and) inspired me, not just through his strength, but through his examples of love and empathy.
“I was thinking about a gift that Chad might have given me and when I think about that, I guess what comes to mind is the awareness and always remembering the potential that I have as a human being.”
Hudson said Boseman was “dedicated to his craft” and his family, as she too shared her experiences with the actor and links to his foundation’s page.
“He was such a special man and I’m feeling so lucky I had the opportunity to get to know him,” she said.
