Nearly five years after the shocking passing of Chadwick Boseman, his widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, is speaking out in a rare and deeply emotional interview. Sitting down with the Today show’s Craig Melvin, Simone shared intimate new details about the late actor’s private battle with colon cancer, including the revelation that he had been in remission for a full year during the height of his Black Panther fame.
Boseman and Simone’s relationship began in 2014, right as his career was taking off. He had already established himself by playing real-life icons like Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get On Up. But when he was cast as Marvel’s Black Panther, their lives changed overnight.
“It was like pre-Panther and post-Panther. Life was just different,” Simone recalled. “It went from people waving at you down the aisle of a grocery store to somebody actually following you in your car and doing the Wakanda Forever salute.”
However, beneath the massive global success, the couple was quietly fighting a battle that the world knew nothing about. When Boseman was initially diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, Simone said they were optimistic.
“I think when he was initially diagnosed, we both felt very sure that he would make it through,” she told Melvin. “It was going to be a challenging moment, but something that he would come out on the other side of and be fine.”
When asked why they chose to keep the diagnosis a secret from the public, Simone explained that it came down to Boseman’s desire to be treated normally. “When so many eyes are on you, I think you want to keep things generally more private. And Chad was not a person that would have wanted to be treated any differently.”
Despite his diagnosis, Boseman continued to work at a grueling pace, becoming one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. Then, in 2018, the same year Black Panther was released to unprecedented global acclaim, the couple received incredible news: Boseman was in remission.
Simone described that period as a “beautiful year,” sharing that it is often harder for her to reflect on the good times than the bad. As the world celebrated the cultural phenomenon of Black Panther, the couple was secretly celebrating a massive personal victory.
“He was so deserving of all the success. And kids are dressing up like him, and people are buying out theaters… and he’s just being celebrated everywhere we go,” she shared. “It did feel like they didn’t know we were celebrating that he had a clear scan. But we were celebrating that too. It felt like we got another chance.”
Unfortunately, by the end of 2018, the cancer had returned and was much more aggressive. It was during this time that Boseman proposed during a quiet staycation by the fireplace. The couple married in a small, intimate ceremony surrounded by family in 2020, just months before he passed away in August at the age of 43.
While it is still “kind of hard to believe it’s been five years,” Simone shares that as time passes, the grief changes. “The edges get less sharp,” she explained. “I think it’s the best way to put it. There are still edges”.
Today, Simone remains dedicated to honoring her husband’s legacy. From the naming of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University to his posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his impact continues to be celebrated.
When asked why she wants him to be remembered for his work rather than his cancer, her answer was profound: “What’s more important about Chad is the way that he lives. The fact that he wouldn’t let cancer get in the way of what he was here to do. Let that be the lesson.”
