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Post announcing Chadwick Boseman's death becomes 'most liked tweet ever'

'Black Panther' actor Chadwick Boseman.
'Black Panther' actor Chadwick Boseman.
Image: Sarah Morris/FilmMagic via Getty Images.

The tweet announcing US actor Chadwick Boseman's death has become the most liked tweet ever, Twitter confirmed.

On Saturday, the world woke up to the shocking news of Boseman's death after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43.

The actor's family shared the news on his social media pages, sparking an outpouring of grief from fellow celebrities and fans.

Twitter later confirmed that the message on its platform has become the “most liked tweet ever” with more than seven million likes within two days. The social media giant added that this was a “tribute fit for a king”.

On Instagram, the post racked up 18.2 million likes, while on Facebook 1.3 million people liked the post.

Meanwhile, tributes continued pouring in for the Black Panther  actor with his co-stars and figures such as Michelle and Barack Obama sharing fond memories of their time with him.

Leading recent tributes was co-star Danai Gurira, who described Boseman as a “pure hearted, profoundly generous” person in a moving post on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

How do you honor a king? Reeling from the loss of my colleague, my friend, my brother. Struggling for words. Nothing feels adequate. I always marveled at how special Chadwick was. Such a pure hearted, profoundly generous, regal, fun guy. My entire job as Okoye was to respect and protect a king. Honor his leadership. Chadwick made that job profoundly easy. He was the epitome of kindness, elegance, diligence and grace. On many an occasion I would think how thankful I was that he was the leading man I was working closely with. A true class act. And so perfectly equipped to take on the responsibility of leading the franchise that changed everything for Black representation. He made everyone feel loved, heard and seen. He played great, iconic roles because he possessed inside of himself that connection to greatness to be able to so richly bring them to life. He had a heroic spirit, and marched to the beat of his own drum; hence his excellence as an artist and the incredible courage and determination as he faced life’s challenges; while still guiding us all. He was zen and sweet and funny (with the very best laugh), attentive, and truly, truly, good. I can’t even wrap my mind around this loss. A loss resonating in my own heart as well as around the globe. The children he inspired, my heart aches for them, to lose their hero just as they finally found him. I am so thankful to have taken the Black Panther journey with him. To have known him, spent time in his light and leadership and to call him forever a friend. Lala Ngoxolo Kumkani.

A post shared by Danai Gurira (@danaigurira) on

“How do you honour a king? Reeling from the loss of my colleague, my friend, my brother. Struggling for words. Nothing feels adequate. I always marvelled at how special Chadwick was. Such a pure hearted, profoundly generous, regal, fun guy. My entire job as Okoye was to respect and protect a king. Honour his leadership.

“Chadwick made that job profoundly easy. He was the epitome of kindness, elegance, diligence and grace. On many an occasion I would think how thankful I was that he was the leading man I was working closely with. A true class act. And so perfectly equipped to take on the responsibility of leading the franchise that changed everything for Black representation. He made everyone feel loved, heard and seen. He played great, iconic roles because he possessed inside of himself that connection to greatness to be able to so richly bring them to life.”

Gurira went on to say that Boseman “had a heroic spirit, and marched to the beat of his own drum” and said she still couldn't wrap her mind around the loss.

The Obamas shared fond memories of their meeting with him and remembering his talent and “warmth and sincerity”. 

Boseman's other co-stars also paid tribute to him at the weekend — Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans and Don Cheadle all took to social media to remember the star.


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