Lupita Nyong’o, best known for her roles in Black Panther and 12 Years a Slave, is remembering her late co-star Chadwick Boseman six years after his death. Boseman died on Aug. 28, 2020, at 43 after privately battling colon cancer.
Lupita Nyong’o marked the 6-year anniversary of Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death
Over the weekend, Nyong’o shared an emotional tribute to Boseman on Instagram. Alongside her message, she encouraged people to appreciate the loved ones who are still with them.
“Hold on to those you love who love you back,” she captioned the post. “Tell them you love them. Show them you love them. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.”
Nyong’o and Boseman starred together in the 2018 Marvel film Black Panther. Boseman played T’Challa, the king and superhero known as Black Panther, while Nyong’o portrayed Nakia, a Wakandan warrior and spy who shared a complicated romantic history with his character.
They reunited for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022, which was made after Boseman’s death and centered on Wakanda mourning T’Challa.
Over the years, Nyong’o has been open about how deeply Boseman’s death affected her. In a post shortly after his death, she described the grief as “a punch to my gut every morning.”
She later reflected on his death while discussing A Quiet Place: Day One, which features a cancer-related storyline with PEOPLE. Nyong’o said working on the film became therapeutic because Boseman’s death had “shook me to my core.”
The actress has also spoken about the difficulty of revisiting Black Panther without her friend. During a 2024 event, she became emotional after watching a clip from the movie and said, “The grief is just the love with no place to put it, right?”
“I don’t know whether I’ll ever be done shedding my tears from losing my friend,” she added. “But I’m like, we get to see him alive. And that’s so wonderful.”
Six years later, Nyong’o’s latest tribute shows that her grief for Boseman remains closely tied to the love and friendship they shared.
