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On Nov. 1, Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward Boseman opened up about her late husband’s life and legacy during an emotional interview with Whoopi Goldberg on Good Morning America.
Holding back tears, the 32-year-old widow sat down for her first interview since the death of the late Black Panther star. She went into detail about the actor’s quiet battle with colon cancer, calling the difficult period “the most challenging two years” of her life, according to PEOPLE.
Chadwick Boseman’s cancer diagnosis began to “spiral” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It seemed like, ‘Is this a crazy coincidence?’ That we get to actually be inside, we get to be here with family, you know, together, and everybody in the world is also experiencing this togetherness in the midst of this awful, scary, unpredictable time.”
In order to keep the severity of his health status out of the public eye, Simone said that she and his family kept their circle tight. Sadly, in August 2020, Boseman died at the age of 43 after a four-year-long battle with colon cancer. News of the Marvel star’s death, “shocked and devastated” the world, given that two years prior, he made history by becoming the first Black superhero to join the Marvel universe following the release of Black Panther. Boseman played the almighty King T’Challa in the blockbuster film.
Simone Ledward Boseman is still mourning the loss of her husband
Now, nearly two years after Boseman’s untimely death, Simone is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband.
“Some days, I’m doing worse than I’m really willing to acknowledge. Other days, I’m doing better than I feel comfortable admitting,” she said.
Boseman’s legacy continues to live on through his scholarship program at Howard University, which is the actor’s alma mater. In 2021, the university’s college of fine arts was renamed in Boseman’s honor.
“We have four scholars. One of them graduated this past year, and was very proud to be the first graduating Boseman scholar of the first graduating class of the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts,” Simone said while referencing Shawn Smith, a recent Howard graduate who said Boseman’s powerful acting legacy “paved the way” for his educational success.
“I can’t believe that I was so lucky,” Simone said tearfully of her late husband. “I can’t believe that I got to love this person, and I also got them to love me too.”
Chadwick and Simone were together since 2015. E News reported that the couple quietly married in 2020, shortly before the actor passed away.
Last year, while accepting Boseman’s Tribute honor at the Gotham Awards, Simone told the audience that her husband always “made a practice of telling the truth.”
“He is the most honest person I’ve ever met Because he didn’t just stop at speaking the truth, he actively searched for it—in himself, in those around him, and in the moment,” she continued, before adding:
“The truth can be a very easy thing for the self to avoid, but if one does not live in truth, then it’s impossible to live in line with a divine purpose for your life. And so, it became how he lived his life, day in, day out. Imperfect, but determined.”
Watch Simone Ledward Boseman’s full GMA interview below.
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