Posthumous Chadwick Boseman tweet is ‘most liked’ in Twitter history
The final tweet from actor Chadwick Boseman’s Twitter account, which revealed his passing and fight with cancer, was the “most liked” ever on the social platform.
Twitter confirmed the record-breaking tweet online as it registered more than 5.7 million likes after an outpouring of grief and remembrance from fans and colleagues, including President Obama, Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Robert Iger and director Spike Lee. Followers shared it at least 2.6 million times. The most recent tweet Boseman sent was on Aug. 11 in which he shared support for fellow Howard University alumna Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
“Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever,” the company shared via its own account. Other highly “liked” tweets on the social media platform included Obama’s 2017 message about learned racism and his January tribute to Kobe Bryant. Tweets from band BTS also earned millions of likes on their tweets.
Boseman broke boundaries with his portrayal of a Marvel superhero in “Black Panther.” Along with the cast, the role brought him a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2019. His career highlights include roles of real-life icons Jackie Robinson in “42,” James Brown in “Get on Up” and Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall.”
“‘Black Panther’ was not just a movie,” said Brittney Cooper, associate professor at Rutgers University in an appearance Saturday on MSNBC. “All of the roles he played were not just movies, they were cultural experiences that affirm the depths and possibility of our humanity. What it feels like in 2020 is that we are losing the people that help us to get up every day and fight again because they show the best of us.”
Actor Chadwick Boseman died Aug. 28 at the age of 43.
The 43-year-old’s death shocked many in Hollywood who were unaware he had spent the last four years fighting colon cancer.
Earlier this year, Boseman appeared in Lee’s Netflix drama “Da 5 Bloods” and had completed filming on another Netflix project, the 1920s-set musical drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted from the play by August Wilson, with Viola Davis and Colman Domingo, which will be released later this year. No date has been set.
Boseman was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2016, according to the message from his Twitter account. The same year, he made his debut as comics superhero King T’Challa, whose alter ego is Black Panther, in “Captain America: Civil War.”
A candlelight vigil in memory of Boseman is scheduled at 5 p.m. for Saturday at Leimert Park. The event is organized by Project Islamic Hope, a Los Angeles civil rights organization.
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