Chadwick Boseman
The late Chadwick Boseman was honored by his wife Simone Leeward and Black-ish actor Anthony Anderson during the Stand Up to Cancer fundraising telethon event on Saturday.
Intended to celebrate thirteen years of cancer research, the event included performances and appearances from familiar names in Hollywood such as Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Cecily Strong, Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms and Tony Hale.
“Many of us were devastated to learn of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing after he privately grappled with cancer for several years,” Anderson said during the show, which was streamed on YouTube.
“The world lost an incredible artist and a true hero. But before he was a public figure, he was a person like you or me, a son, a brother, uncle, cousin, friend, colleague, husband. Many of us are all too familiar with the fracture a dearly loved one’s passing leaves in the lives of those who love them.”
He introduced Boseman’s wife Simone, who performed “I’ll Be Seeing You,” a song about living with the reality of loss.
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Lyrics included: “I’ll be seeing you in all the old, familiar places that this heart of mine embraces.”‘
We are honored to have Chadwick’s wife #SimoneBoseman here tonight. Her incredibly powerful performance reminds us that we all have heroes in our lives. Now is the time to Stand Up for them and with them. 🧡 Give now at https://t.co/tNxh7oe6XK. pic.twitter.com/EwcyolYVmM
— Stand Up To Cancer (@SU2C) August 22, 2021
The Black Panther actor died of colon cancer last August at the age of 43.
The 2021 Stand Up to Cancer telethon was co-hosted by Anderson, Ken Jeong and his wife, physician Tran Ho — who shared the story of her own breast cancer diagnosis; and Sofia Vergara. Performers included Stevie Wonder, Common and Brittany Howard, the latter of whom dedicated her performance to her late sister Jaime.
Matthew McConaughey was among those who appeared in the telecast, sharing a personal story of losing a beloved friend and mentor to cancer, which he referred to as “this damned disease.”
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth executive produced the event.
