ANDERSON, S.C. (WSPA)- Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman died Friday at 43 years old after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
Boseman is best known for his role in “Black Panther” but spent his childhood right here in the Upstate.
Chadwick Boseman’s high school basketball coach at T.L. Hanna, Wayne Jones, reflected on the years he spent with him and said his smile was contagious, one for the big screen.
“When you saw him, he could light up a room. It was a Hollywood smile,” Jones said.
Jones said the news of Boseman’s death was shocking.
He said he lived his life with humility.
So much so, Jones didn’t even know his former player was starring in movies until he saw it for himself.
“I had my back to the TV and I heard this voice, and I turned around and I said wait a minute that’s Chad Boseman,” Jones said.
He explained that instantly, he knew Boseman cared deeply for the people he loved.
He remembered a time Boseman wrote a play for a friend who was shot and killed.
“He didn’t just forget you,” Jones said. “Especially in times of tragic situations. For him to try to write something that would accentuate someone else’s life is more what he was all about.”
Boseman left behind family who still live in Anderson, including his parents.
Jones said he would tell his parents one thing; they should be proud.
“You did a good job. His parents did an excellent job in raising Chad, and he was quite a reflection of the way he was brought up,” Jones said.
He also left behind his wife who the family says he married months before he lost his life.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said in a tweet that he was ordering the lowering of the flag tomorrow “to honor the life, contributions, and memory of a truly extraordinary son of South Carolina.”
Local kids Khloe and Kaleb paid their respects to a man they called a “hero, icon, legend,” by holding a memorial service for the late Boseman with their action figures.
(Photo courtesy of Jasmine Pearson)
Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet, but we will keep you updated with anything happening in the Upstate to honor his life.
