Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman appears to have secretly married his long-time girlfriend before his death as he was losing his lengthy fight against terminal-stage of colon cancer.
"He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side. The family thanks you for your love and prayers, and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time", the grieving family’s Instagram statement posted on Saturday reads.
It says the actor, who died aged 43 on Friday, was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and battled against it before it progressed to stage IV.
"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy”, the statement goes on.
A year prior to the disastrous diagnosis, Boseman was first captured on paparazzi snapshots with singer Taylor Simone Ledward by his side - it was back in 2015 at Los Angeles International Airport.
At first they kept most of their budding romance secret, before allowing themselves to be pictured together at strings of award ceremonies and premieres, as the actor’s career reached its heyday at the time.
The couple is thought to have tied the knot in a private ceremony before the actor's state of health worsened, months after the Black Panther actor popped the question while on holiday in Malibu.
“Chadwick and Simone got engaged. It was a long time coming and everyone is really happy”, a source told the gossip blog MediaTakeOut.
Boseman's most stunning role was his 2018 appearance as T'Challa, king of the fictional kingdom of Wakanda and the crime fighter known as Black Panther. The Black Panther rallying cry "Wakanda Forever" trended online, as celebrities and fans alike posted floods of tributes on social media.
Boseman’s Black Panther film role originated in Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, and was reprised twice more in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame.
Chadwick Boseman's latest project, a drama about a key moment in US civil rights history, was revealed just a week ago. On 24 August, Chadwick was revealed to be an executive producer for a new miniseries that looks into Little Rock Nine – a high-profile court case from 1957 that put an end to racial segregation in schools.