Lupita Nyong'o honors Chadwick Boseman four years after his tragic death

The “Black Panther” actor died in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer.

Lupita Nyong'o honors Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman four years after his tragic death. The actress, who starred alongside Boseman in the 2018 hit Marvel Studios film, took to Instagram on Wednesday, August 28, to pay tribute to her late friend.

Nyong'o, 41, shared a black-and-white photo of Boseman alongside a photo of the two laughing together, writing, “'Grief never ends. But it changes. It is a transition, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness or lack of faith. It is the price of love.' – Unknown.” The actress added, “We remember Chadwick Boseman. Forever.”

Boseman played Wakanda King T'Challa in Black Pantherwhile Nyong'o played Nakia, a Wakandan warrior and T'Challa's lover. Two years after the groundbreaking film's release, Boseman passed away at the age of 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

Not even Boseman's colleagues knew about his health struggle before his death, and after his passing, Nyong'o took to social media to share a message “from a position of hopelessness”: she wanted to “honor a man who had great hope.”

“I have a hard time thinking and talking about my friend Chadwick Boseman in the past tense. It doesn't make sense. The news of his death is a punch in the gut every morning,” she wrote in September 2020. “I realize we are all mortal, but you meet some people in life who have an immortal energy, who seem like they have existed before, who are exactly where they are always meant to be – here! … who seem timeless … Chadwick was one of those people.”

She praised her friend's “calm, powerful presence” and continued: “He had no airs and graces about him, but he seemed to operate on a higher frequency. You had the feeling that he was fully present and somehow fully aware of things in the distant future. That's why I noticed that Chadwick never seemed rushed! He controlled his time with ease.”

Boseman was “driven by love, not fear” in his life, Nyong'o assured, and he was determined to “make sure his life had meaning.” A quiet place: day one The star gushed: “He cared so much about humanity, about black people, about his people. He inspired our pride. By standing his ground and working with such determination in the films he set out to make, Chadwick made the infinite his home. … His power lives on and will resonate for generations to come.”