In an interview with the New York Times, Chadwick Boseman’s brother, Derrick, spoke about the last conversation he had with his brother before he died from colon cancer.
“Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game,” Derrick remembered his brother saying to him, and he knew exactly what his brother meant. “When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done.” He added, “And the next day, he passed away.”
In 2016 Boseman was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. In his last four years of life, Chadwick created an undeniable resume, which included his iconic role as T’Challa in Black Panther, all while dealing with the disease.
Derrick also recalled his brother saying, “Hallelujah,” as he revealed, “[Chadwick] never stopped saying it” during their family prayer calls.
Meanwhile, their other brother, Kevin, recalled a time where Chadwick exuded a strong work ethic and spirit while trying to enter the show business, despite his parent’s initial doubts. “A lot of people think making it means becoming an A-list movie star,” he said. “I didn’t force that. I just knew that if Chad wanted to work in the arts, he would find a way and take care of himself.”