The world no idea Chadwick Boseman was nearing the end of his private, four-year-long battle with colon cancer before he suddenly passed away in August. But according to his brother, the late actor was sadly “ready to go.”
In a new interview with the New York Times, the Black Panther star’s siblings Kevin Boseman and Pastor Derrick Boseman opened up about their brother’s life and legacy, with the latter recalling details of what would be his final conversation with Chadwick.
Related: Lupita Nyong’o Says Chadwick Boseman’s Death Is ‘A Punch To My Gut Every Morning’
The 54-year-old clergyman recalled how Boseman expressed fatigue during a routine prayer phone call the night before he died. The late star said:
“Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game.”
Derrick took the plea as a sign that his brother finally grew “tired” of fighting his terminal illness and it led him to shift gears on their holistic approach:
“When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done.’ And the next day he passed away.”
Wow. That is truly heartbreaking to hear, but it’s clear from this account that he was really holding on with everything he had until his body could no longer handle the pain. He was just 43 years old, though, and it still feels like he was taken from us far too soon.
As we reported, the beloved actor died at home on August 28 surrounded by loved ones and was later buried near his Anderson, South Carolina where he, Derrick, and Kevin grew up together. Chadwick’s family told the Times that they would like for him to be honored in their hometown with a school bearing his name. You can really tell how close they all were in shots from their childhood like the one (below), which Kevin shared to Instagram earlier this year on National Siblings Day:
In addition to this somber story, several other accounts of Boseman’s kindness, generosity, and how he bravely chose to live out his final days have surfaced in the wake of his death.
Related: Chadwick’s Co-Star Tearfully Shares Regrets About Misjudging His Cancer Battle
Recently, his 21 Bridges co-star Sienna Miller revealed that he took a pay cut to boost her salary for the film. She told Empire magazine:
“I didn’t know whether or not to tell this story, and I haven’t yet. But I am going to tell it, because I think it’s a testament to who he was. This was a pretty big budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn’t get to. And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school and it was an inconvenient time, I said, ‘I’ll do it if I’m compensated in the right way.’ And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid.”
Ugh. We really lost a tremendous person inside and out. Our thoughts remain with his family, loved ones, and all those affected by his passing.
Rest easy, Chadwick.
[Image via Fayes Vision/WENN]
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