GENERAL PRESS 24
Chadwick Boseman was one of the leading men in Hollywood and at the height of his career when he passed. The award-winning thespian continued to work until his last breath and kept his cancer diagnosis private from fans, friends, and even some family. Originally diagnosed in 2016 with stage 3 Colon Cancer, it eventually progressed by 2020 into stage 4. Boseman managed to complete several movies while going through chemotherapy, including Marshall, Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey, and others.
Boseman did post a video online speaking to fans around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he appeared noticeably thinner. While many were concerned, others made jokes and taunted the actor. These same people were heartbroken upon finding out that he had been sick the whole time. “Let this be a lesson to be mindful about your words and judgment. You don’t know what type of battle people are fighting,” said one fan online. It is believed that Boseman’s progression in his final days was quick and sudden, as the actor did not have a will in place yet. He would pass on August 28th, 2020, with his wife and family by his side.
Chadwick Boseman was a rare breed of actor. While he got his start his first major role relatively late at the age of 35, he made up for the time quickly and with incredible grace and poise. His first starring role was in 2013’s 42, a Jackie Robinson biopic. He followed this up with roles as James Brown and Thurgood Marshall. Of course, Boseman’s biggest role would be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is T’Challa, The Black Panther. He was incredibly well decorated as well, and throughout his career, he received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, four MTV Movie & TV Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award.
Boseman’s final three films were made while he was in the worst of his illness. 21 Bridges was released in 2019, while Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom came out in 2020. Ma Rainey was his final release and came out posthumously. As part of the Avengers cast, Boseman had the honor of being in two of the highest-grossing movies of all time, Avengers Infinity Wars and Avengers End Game. His final voice acting performance with being in the MCU property What If, where he reprised the role of T’Challa in 2021.
Chadwick was a major star before dying and had amassed a nice fortune for himself. The actor is said to have been valued at $12 million, much of which was thanks to his participation in the Marvel films. He had the distinct honor of having the highest-grossing solo superhero film, only recently passed by Spider-Man No Way Home. According to reports from 2020, “Black Panther ranks as one of the highest-grossing superhero films ever made, surpassed only by the four “Avengers” flicks in the MCU. “Black Panther” grossed $1.3 billion at the box office, while ‘Endgame,’ the highest-grossing film in the world to date, earned more than double that, grossing $2.792 billion, according to Forbes.”
He earned $2 million to star in Black Panther and is rumored to have made way more for the Avengers movies. While that amount was not disclosed, it is confirmed that leads Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans scored $15 million apiece while Paul Rudd made $8 million, so Chadwick must be in that range.
Chadwick Boseman Passed Without A Written Will
Chadwick Boseman began dating Taylor Simone Ledward in 2015. The pair got engaged in October 2019 and quietly wed in secret. No one knew Chadwick was married until his passing. She performed a touching tribute to her husband last year at the Stand Up to Cancer Telethon, where she sang “I’ll Be Seeing You,” written by Sammy Fain. They had no children, and Boseman did not get a chance to write a will before his passing.
Due to him not having his will in order, the state of Los Angeles was left in charge of dividing up Boseman’s estate. While his network was reportedly valued at $12 million at his time of passing, it seems all that’s left is about 2.3 million that his widow will have to divide with his parents. “Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, asked a California court to approve the estate being distributed 50% to Boseman’s parents, and the other half to herself, according to a report from Radar Online.”
Fans in the comments expressed their confusion and assumed the actor would be worth much more. “I thought he would have been worth more than that,” said one fan. “This is a reminder for all of us to have a will, even if we are poor, to save our beneficiaries the legalities and costs. RIP Chadwick.”Do you think Boseman should have more money in the bank?
