There is little doubt that everyone was shocked when it was confirmed that Chadwick Boseman passed away from Stage IV colon cancer. But why did the Black Panther actor choose to keep his diagnosis a secret even from his own Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars? Boseman's close friends have revealed the reason why he decided to stay quiet about his battle with cancer.
Boseman's longtime agent Michael Greene and personal trainer Addison Henderson recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter where they shared how the actor truly felt about his struggle. According to Greene, the decision to keep the diagnosis a secret was influenced by Boseman's mother Carolyn.
"[She] always taught him not to have people fuss over him. He also felt in this business that people trip out about things, and he was a very, very private person," Greene said.
The agent also confirmed that Boseman was "really in hard-core pain" while he was working on his last project Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
Henderson, who worked with Boseman for the MCU films, stated that the actor refused to let his condition affect his preparations for his movies.
"He was just living his artistic life to the fullest and using his time and his moment to really affect people. For us, it was just like, ‘Let's keep going, let's keep doing what you want to do, let's keep training,'" Henderson said.
"Chad had so much wisdom, so much knowledge, so much inside of him that he wasn't going to let this disease stop him from telling these amazing stories and showing his art in the prime of his life," Henderson concluded.
Boseman passed away on August 28. He was 43 years old.
Related: Chadwick Boseman Was Getting Ready for Black Panther 2 Before His Death
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