VMAs 2020: MTV Honors Chadwick Boseman With Heartwarming Tribute

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards included a tribute to Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, who died on Friday at 43. The VMAs were held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and instead featured performances throughout New York City between award presentations. Fans were heartbroken after seeing the Boseman tribute, which started the show. Host Keke Palmer dedicated the broadcast to the actor, whom she called “an actor whose talent and passion was a true inspiration to all the fans he touched and everyone he encountered.”

Boseman fought colon cancer for four years before his death, but never publicly disclosed his diagnosis. His family said he underwent “countless surgeries and chemotherapy” treatments while filming his most recent movies, including Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and Netflix’s upcoming drama Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. “The family thanks you for your love and prayers, and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time,” his family said.

The impact of Boseman’s death was felt far beyond the film community, as dozens of musicians also sent their condolences to his family. Mick Jagger, who was a producer on the James Brown biopic Get On Up, called Boseman a “wonderful, funny, kind man and a very talented actor” who “will be missed by many.” Singer Toni Braxton was among those personally touched by Boseman. “Our makeup artists are friends and he used to get on the phone and ask me to sing ‘You Mean The World To Me’ because it was his favorite song of mine and now this song will be forever dedicated to him,” she wrote. “Rest In Power King.”

Black Panther featured the Oscar-nominated song “All the Stars,” written by Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Sounwave, and Al Shux. The song’s video won the 2018 VMA for Best Visual Effects. “All the Stars” was also nominated at the Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

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