It’s been over a month since Chadwick Boseman suddenly passed away, having kept his battles with colon cancer a secret from everyone but close family and friends. Tributes and stories continue to pour in, the latest from Boseman’s two brothers, one of whom told The New York Times about what would prove to be their final conversation.
Derrick Boseman, who at 54 is his oldest brother, is a pastor, and their last chat perhaps inevitably wound up being spiritual. He said Chadwick was starting to lose faith that a recovery was possible, telling him, “Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game.” That’s when Derrick realized “that he was tired. He was ready to go.” So Derrick changed up his game. “When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done,’” he said. “And the next day he passed away.”
Boseman’s other brother, Kevin, 48 and a dancer in the stage version of The Lion King, wanted to tell people what it was like to know the real him. “I have been trying to remember Chad and not Chadwick,” Kevin told the Times. “And there’s just been a lot of Chadwick in the air.”
Kevin recalled letting the future Black Panther star stay with him in his Brooklyn apartment when the latter first moved to New York City, hoping to make it. Their father at one point expressed concern that success was proving elusive. “A lot of people think making it means becoming an A-list movie star,” Kevin said. “I didn’t force that. I just knew that if Chad wanted to work in the arts, he would find a way and take care of himself.”
Turns out all Chadwick had to was work hard and be patient. “He always did his best,” Kevin added. “His best was incredible.”
(Via The New York Times)
