Chadwick Boseman’s widow paid a moving tribute to the late actor as she accepted his posthumous Tribute Prize at the 2021 Gotham Awards.
The ‘Black Panther’ star and his ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ co-star, Viola Davis, were honored with the accolade at Monday night’s (11.01.21) live-streamed ceremony from Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
And Taylor Simone Ledward gave a touching speech, in which she admitted she is “so proud” of Chadwick, who passed away last August, aged 43, following a secret four-year battle with colon cancer.
She began: “He is the most honest person I’d ever met. He actively searched for it, in himself, those around him, and the moment. The truth can be a very easy thing for the self to avoid. But if one does not live in truth, then it’s impossible to live life. So it became how he lived his life, day in and day out.
“Imperfect but determined. He was blessed to live many lives within his concentrated one. He developed his understanding of what it meant to be the one, the none, and the all. ‘A vessel to be poured into and out of,’ he’d said.”
Taylor explained that her husband was “modeling a path to true fulfillment” through his powerful acting.
She continued: “He harnessed the power of letting go, and letting God’s love shine through. He realized that when one is able to recognize that when their strength does not come from themself, they rarely mess up. That’s what he was doing when he was acting. Modeling for us a path to true fulfillment. May we not let his conviction be in vain. May our spirits be fertile soil for God’s wisdom to fall upon. So thank you. Praise God.”
She concluded: “Chad, thank you. I love you. I am so proud of you. Keep shining your light on us. Thank you.”
The ceremony also saw a moment of silence held for the late movie star, while a montage of his biggest films played, including clips from ’42’, ‘Marshall’, ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Da 5 Bloods’.
Chadwick was also nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Levee in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’, but the prize went to Riz Ahmed for ‘Sound of Metal’.
