Though most of the world was shocked to learn of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death from colon cancer in August, his family was with him every step of the way.
In a new interview with The New York Times, brothers Kevin and Derrick Boseman looked back on the actor’s life, remembering how Chadwick was a man of deep faith.
Derrick, his oldest brother and a pastor, recalled Chadwick always saying “hallelujah” during family prayer calls when he was sick, no matter what he was going through. He also shared a moving final conversation with his brother.
The day before Chadwick died, he told Derrick, “Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game.” Derrick told the Times he realized Chadwick, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer since 2016, was ready to go.
“When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done,’” Derrick said. “And the next day he passed away.”
His family also recalled how Chadwick’s faith inspired him to give back to their hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. Many of the “Black Panther” star’s contributions to the town were never made widely known.
“That’s the way we were raised, that when you can help, you should help, and you don’t broadcast it,” Derrick told the newspaper.
Since Chadwick Boseman’s death, other stories of his philanthropy have come to light, including “Black Panther” producer Nate Moore revealing that the star was determined to bring joy to sick kids during the pandemic.
“I think that’s just who he was as a man. A leader and a caregiver first, who accomplished both of those things as a performer and as a regular person,” Moore told People.
Read more from The New York Times.