Chadwick Boseman’s Wife Praises ‘Lifetime of Artistry’ at Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday, November 20. His widow, Simone Ledward-Boseman, accepted the honor on his behalf. Ledward-Boseman, Boseman’s Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, and his Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star Viola Davis spoke at the ceremony, which managed to wrap up right before Los Angeles was once more swept up in rain. Others in attendance included Black Panther stars Letitia Wright and Michael B. Jordan, Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez, and Disney CEO Bob Iger. “Chad, today we recognize a lifetime of artistry,” Ledward-Boseman said in her speech, per People. “We recognize your skill and your devotion, and we cement your legacy as a hero and an icon. You lived with honor, and you walked with truth. You were as brilliant as you were beautiful as you were kind. We love you, we miss you, we thank you.”

Davis spoke about Boseman’s djembe drum, which he brought everywhere with him. She said Boseman “channeled the divine” through his work and through the instrument, according to the Grio. “You were a conduit,” she said, “a source of connectiveness that every single human being who is on this earth is searching for.”

Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 of colon cancer. In his speech, Coogler noted that Boseman came to “every single audition and every single callback” for Black Panther, and “was incredibly generous with his time on set” despite undergoing cancer treatment. He said Boseman was “an incredibly humble teacher” and an honor to work alongside. “This is something that people who maybe played ice hockey with Wayne Gretzky can attest to, people who played basketball with Michael Jordan can attest to: there’s something special about being that close to somebody that great,” Coogler said. “You realize how much you don’t measure up, but you also realize how much the human body is capable of. Chad showed that every day.”