Chadwick Boseman honoured with posthumous Golden Globe after death at 43

Chadwick Boseman (David Lee/Netflix)

Chadwick Boseman’s wife fought back tears and said the Black Panther actor would have said “something inspiring” as the late actor was posthumously honoured at the Golden Globes.

Boseman, who died aged 43 last August due to complications related to colon cancer, won the best actor in a drama film prize for his portrayal of an ambitious trumpeter in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

His widow Simone accepted the award on his behalf and said: “He would thank God, he would thank his parents, he would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices.”

Congratulations to Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (@MaRaineyFilm). - #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/aVUlR7IyHq

— Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) March 1, 2021

On behalf of her husband, she thanked Boseman’s team and his Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-stars.

She said: “He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you ‘you can’, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you were meant to be doing at this moment in history.”

After naming Boseman’s co-stars in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Simone added: “And I don’t have his words but we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love. So thank you HFPA, for this opportunity to do exactly that.

“Hon, you keep ’em coming.”

Boseman is thought to be the front runner to win the Oscar for his turn in the Netflix film.

Chadwick Boseman in 2018 (Ian West/PA)

His death came as a shock to Hollywood, with Boseman having kept his battle with cancer private from even his closest collaborators.

Boseman’s family said he had been diagnosed with colon cancer four years previously. His films including Black Panther, Da 5 Bloods and Avengers: Endgame were all shot when he was available between surgeries and chemotherapy.

Boseman was cast as superhero T’Challa, the king of African nation Wakanda, in 2014, and made his debut as the character in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

Heath Ledger, James Dean and Spencer Tracy are among the stars to have previously received posthumous Golden Globes.