Chadwick Boseman’s Brothers Recall Last Conversation With ‘Black Panther’ Star

Chadwick Boseman’s brothers Kevin Boseman and pastor Derrick Boseman opened up about the last time they spoke with the Black Panther actor, who died in August. Boseman was the youngest of the three and died at 43 on Aug. 28 after a battle with colon cancer. The Get on Up star was diagnosed with the illness in 2016, but he never publicly disclosed his condition and continued acting while being treated.

The day before Boseman died, he told Derrick, “Man, I’m in the fourth quarter and I need you to get me out of the game.” At that moment, Derrick, 54, changed his prayers. “When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done.’ And the next day he passed away,” he told the New York Times.

Boseman grew up in Anderson, South Carolina, and is now known around the world as T’Challa in Black Panther, Jackie Robinson in 42, and James Brown in Get on Up. To his older brothers, he was Chad. “I have been trying to remember Chad and not Chadwick,” Kevin, 48, told the Times. “And there’s just been a lot of Chadwick in the air.” Kevin, who has also worked as a writer, dancer, and actor, said the family understood they needed to “start sharing” Boseman with the world when Boseman became a celebrity, but Kevin “always endeavored” to treat Boseman like his little brother.

Even at a young age, the Boseman family knew Boseman was “gifted,” Derrick said. “He’s probably the most gifted person I’ve ever met,” he said. When Boseman moved to New York to begin his own career in the arts, he stayed with Kevin, who was already living in Brooklyn. But Kevin told the Times he knew Boseman had to make himself a star on his own, and he did. “He always did his best,” Kevin said. “His best was incredible.”

The last film Boseman made before his death was an adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which Netflix will release on Dec. 18. He also starred in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, which hit Netflix earlier this year. His performances as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame are all streaming on Disney+. Last month, Disney unveiled a tribute mural for Boseman at the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort.