Local Oscar-winner honors memory of Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman

Oscar-winning Dayton native, Hannah Beachler, remembered her friend and Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday.

Boseman, who played Black American icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown with searing intensity before inspiring audiences worldwide as the regal Black Panther in Marvel’s blockbuster movie franchise, died after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43.

A 2005 Wright State University graduate who was raised in Centerville, Beachler took home her first Academy Award in February 2019 and became the first African American to win an Oscar for best production design. Beachler created the world of Wakanda for Marvel’s film “Black Panther.”

“I’d see Chad everyday, he’d go out of his way to ask me, with a smile, ’What magical place did you make for me today?’ He was always uplifting us, he was our king for that year. When I’d see him at events, he’d ask, ’They taken care of you Sis?’” Beachler tweeted on Saturday morning.

“He’d tell me to make sure to get what I was worth. He always looked out for us, always saw us. I’m praying for his family, and hope they find solace in knowing he’s in the land of peace, he’s home now. Rest In Peace young King, your light will forever shine on us!”

Beachler managed a reported $30 million budget for “Black Panther” and was the first woman to work for Marvel as a production designer.

Born in South Carolina, Boseman graduated from Howard University and had small roles in television before his first star turn in 2013. His striking portrayal of the stoic baseball star Robinson opposite Harrison Ford in 2013′s “42” drew attention in Hollywood and made him a star, reported the Associated Press.

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