#Letitia Wright honors ‘Black Panther’ brother Chadwick Boseman in touching video

By Rebecca Rubin, Variety

Enlarge Image

Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett

Letitia Wright paid homage to Chadwick Boseman, her onscreen brother in Marvel’s blockbuster “Black Panther,” after the actor died Friday from colon cancer.

In a touching tribute posted on Instagram Tuesday night, Wright delivers a poem in honor of Boseman, whom she refers to as “my brother, an angel on Earth.” In 2018’s smash success “Black Panther,” Wright portrayed Shuri, the little sister of Boseman’s T’Challa.

“Words can’t describe how I feel,” she said over images of nature and photos of the two actors. “How we all feel, that losing you was forced upon us, to accept this as a new reality. I wish I got to say goodbye.”

Unbeknownst to his costars and frequent collaborators, Boseman was privately battling colon cancer for four years.

“I messaged you a couple times, but I thought you were just busy,” Wright continued. “I didn’t know you were dealing with so much. But against all the odds, you remained focused on fulfilling your purpose with the time handed to you.”

Wright also recalled the day she met Boseman. Before she got on the plane to Los Angeles, she recounted, “God told me that you are my brother and that I am to love you as such. And I always did, and I always will.”

“But now, my heart is broken, searching for old message of exchange, cards filled with your handwriting and memories of you holding my hand as if it was for eternity,” she said. “I thought we had more time, and many more years to come, for more laughter and for more moments of me picking on you on set.”

Boseman’s shocking death sparked an outpouring of love and support from the Hollywood community and beyond. “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler and co-star Michael B. Jordan were among those who publicly mourned the loss, with Coogler calling Boseman “a special person” who has left an “incredible mark.”