Hollywood paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman on Thursday as the late actor received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The ceremony at 6904 Hollywood Boulevard drew family, close collaborators and fellow stars who celebrated a career built on purpose and performances that resonated far beyond the screen.
Boseman’s widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, accepted the motion picture star on his behalf. In an emotional address, she described her late husband as more than an actor. She called him a spiritual teacher whose generous heart gave something of himself to everyone around him.
She thanked colleagues who trusted his vision and close friends who formed a real brotherhood with him. Simone said that shortly after his death she dreamt of Chadwick telling her he could only do so much from beyond, and that others would now carry his work forward.
Director Ryan Coogler paid tribute on the podium, reflecting on Boseman’s light and the way he reflected the greatness of his people. Coogler described Boseman as both a star and an incomparable jewel who showed shared humanity through his work.
Ryan Coogler has directed Boseman in several defining projects, including Black Panther, and the director’s remarks underlined how deeply those collaborations shaped a generation of filmmakers and audiences.
Also in attendance were long-time friends and co-stars who have repeatedly spoken about Boseman’s influence.
Michael B. Jordan, who built a close bond with Boseman on film sets and in life, was among those present. Jordan has previously written that Boseman paved the way for him and that he would dedicate the rest of his days to living as Boseman did with courage and integrity.
Letitia Wright joined the gathering as well. Wright has often described Boseman in personal terms, saying she felt their relationship was like family and that she wished she had been able to say goodbye. Her earlier spoken tribute captured the grief many colleagues still feel and resurfaced at the ceremony as friends gathered to remember him.
Viola Davis also addressed the crowd, calling Boseman “a mighty elixir who stirred the alchemy all artists seek.” Davis spoke about the way Boseman infused meaning into his roles and how his presence continued to guide her own work.
Fellow cast members and collaborators, including Lupita Nyong’o and other Black Panther alumni, were on hand to honour his memory and the cultural legacy he left behind.
The Walk of Fame dedication marks another formal recognition of Boseman’s impact. His breakthrough performances included Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, and his era-defining role as T’Challa in Black Panther.
His final film role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom earned him widespread acclaim and posthumous awards recognition, helping to cement his place among modern screen greats.
Organisers livestreamed the ceremony and placed Boseman’s star near the Dolby Theatre, a location speakers called fitting for an actor they described as a king in his craft. The event was at once a public remembrance and a private gathering for family and those who had worked closely with him, a moment to reflect on a life and career cut far too short.
For fans and colleagues, the Walk of Fame moment is another invitation to keep telling the stories Boseman chose and to carry forward the values he practised on and off screen.
As Simone Ledward Boseman said, his heart was vast, and his work continues to give back a little of that largesse to a world that still misses him.
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