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Chadwick Boseman's Widow Simone Boseman Brings Cherished Item to Walk of Fame Ceremony
Simone Ledward Boseman is thinking of Chadwick Boseman’s tenacious spirit.
Over five years after the Black Panther star died from colon cancer at age 43, the actor’s widow is sharing insight into his private health battle.
“We both felt very sure that he would make it through,” Simone told Today in an interview published March 20. “It was going to be a challenging moment, but something that he would come out on the other side of and be fine. They would do a surgery, he would do some chemo afterward, and he would be OK. There wasn’t much talk at all of the possibility of him not being OK on the other side of that.”
But despite feeling optimistic about his health, the Call Me Sahn singer—who married Chadwick months before his passing in August 2020—was shocked when she found out about his stage 3 diagnosis in 2016.
“I didn’t know that he was experiencing anything until he had already been to the doctor twice,” she explained. “It all seemed to come about very suddenly. It was a matter of weeks that he started not feeling well.”
Noting that colon cancer is “really tricky in that way,” Simone pointed out the 21 Bridges alum “was so young” at the time that he “wasn’t even at the point where he would consider having a colonoscopy.” (According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s recommended that patients start preventative screenings around 45.)
Chadwick fought the disease until he went into remission in 2018, shortly before he introduced his role as Black Panther’s T’Challa to the world.
“It was a beautiful year,” she reflected on that period, becoming visibly emotional. “To see how deeply and globally impactful that film was…I don’t have any words for it. He was so deserving of that success. [The fans] didn’t know that he had a clear scan, but we were celebrating that, too. It felt like we got another chance.”
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However, the 42 star’s diagnosis returned and progressed to stage 4 by the end of that year. And while a heartbreaking turn of events, Simone noted her husband was intentional in keeping his health battle as private as possible.
“Chad was not a person that would have wanted to be treated any differently because people knew that he was sick,” she explained of his decision. “The work is what was keeping him moving, so he didn’t want the work to suffer just because he was sick. He didn’t want to be handled with kid gloves because people thought he wasn’t going to be able to do his job and slide underneath falling cabinets and run across fields.”
Since Chadwick’s tragic death, Simone has honored his legacy in numerous ways—including dedicating a speech to him when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last September.
“Chad was more than an actor or even an artist,” she expressed at the time. “He was a spiritual teacher fortified by family; close friends that kept him grounded in faith; a team that believed in him, protected him and fought for him; colleagues that trusted his vision, that lifted him up and forged a real brotherhood. You have no idea how pivotal those moments were. Thank you.”
Keep reading to see celebrities who have been open about their cancer battles…
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Colin Egglesfield
The All My Children alum announced in January 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his third cancer diagnosis throughout his life.
Despite the devastating news, he announced (for the third time) in February 2025 he was cancer-free following successful surgery and treatments.
“Remember, you’re not defined by any of your challenges," he wrote in his February 2025 Instagram update. "You’re grander than it all. I’m not my fear, my anxiousness or my scars but I embrace it all because the only way to transform it is to own it.”
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Gerry Turner
The former Golden Bachelor star shared in Dec. 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a bone cancer.
"Unfortunately, there's no cure for it,” Gerry noted to People at the time. “So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn't want to admit to it.”
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Ariana Madix
"I had to have a lil bit o'cancer removed from my body and lymph nodes biopsied," the Vanderpump Rules star revealed to fans at the close of 2018. "(In the clear now!)"
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Christina Applegate
The Up All Night star was declared "100-percent clear" of breast cancer after treatment and a double mastectomy.
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Jim Beaver
The actor, known for roles in The Boys and Supernatural, shared on Feb. 3, 2023, that he had battled prostate cancer for years and was cancer free.
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Marcia Cross
The Desperate Housewives star revealed to fans in September 2018 that she survived anal cancer. "After posting a picture of myself here and uttering the words #cancer and #hairloss, I feel liberated, deliriously free and completely me," she shared on Instagram.
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Dustin Hoffman
The two-time Oscar winner underwent successful treatment for cancer, and his rep confirmed to E! News that doctors deemed Hoffman "surgically cured."
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Hugh Jackman
The X-Men star was treated for his third basal cell carcinoma back in 2014, and after his third treatment, Jackman's rep told E! News that he's "all good" now.
In April 2023, Hugh had two biopsies for additional basal cell carcinoma. At the time, he told fans, "If I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming for those of us in the northern hemisphere, please wear sunscreen."
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Camille Grammer
The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star celebrated one year of being cancer-free in January. The mother of two was diagnosed with endometrial cancer back in 2013 and underwent a radical hysterectomy.
Then in 2017, Camille had surgery to remove Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
Gordon Ramsay / Instagram
Gordon Ramsay
Alongside a pair of photos that show a line of stitches running from the bottom of his ear to his jaw, which he later covered with a bandage, the British celebrity chef shared that he underwent a procedure to treat skin cancer.
“Grateful and so appreciative for the incredible team at The Skin Associates and their fast reactive work on removing this Basal Cell Carcinoma,” Gordon wrote on Instagram August 2025. “Please don’t forget your sunscreen this weekend.”
“I promise you it’s not a face lift,” he added. “I’d need a refund…”
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Cobie Smulders
The Avengers: Age of Ultron actress battled ovarian cancer at the age of 25 and overcome odds when she welcomed two children with husband Taran Killam.
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Dr. Drew Pinsky
TV host reveals he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in July 2013 and has since been given a clean bill of health.
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Brooke Burke
The Dancing with the Stars cohost underwent successful surgery for thyroid cancer. The mother of four tweeted, "Thx for all the twitter love. I'm [home] recovering & resting."
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Angie Everhart
"MY DR CALLED ME ON A SAT. MORNING TO TELL ME I AM CANCER FREE!!!!! #wootothemotherf--kinhoo," the actress tweeted after receiving the good news.
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Michael C. Hall
The Dexter star used a hiatus from his hit series to slay Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Michelle Monaghan
The Australian actress revealed in October 2011 that she had a cancerous mole removed from her calf after her hubby encouraged her to get the suspicious-looking mark checked out.
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Ewan McGregor
The Scot is trainspotting just fine these days after having a cancerous mole removed from beneath his right eye.
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Sheryl Crow
The singer beat breast cancer in 2004 with a "minimally invasive" lumpectomy and radiation therapy.
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Michael Douglas
The Oscar winner declared in early 2011 that his tumor was gone and he had throat cancer "beat."
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Edie Falco
The Emmy winner whacked breast cancer in 2004.
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Anderson Cooper
Surely the CNN veteran wears his SPF when he's braving the elements now after having a cancerous growth removed from under his left eye in 2008.
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Kylie Minogue
The Australian pop star underwent successful surgery for breast cancer in 2005.
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Barry Watson
The 7th Heaven star was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease when he was only 28. He's 50 now and looking good!
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Maura Tierney
The ER fave had to abandon her role in Parenthood to fight breast cancer in 2009—but her treatment was a success and she was back on the red carpet in no time.
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Sharon Osbourne
The America's Got Talent judge was diagnosed with colon cancer while shooting The Osbournes in 2002 and used the opportunity to stress the importance of regular screenings while attacking the #@%! with chemotherapy. She was declared cancer-free the following year.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival
Robert De Niro
The Oscar winner took prostate cancer down, down to Chinatown, in 2003, and has been in about 400 movies since then.
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Robin Roberts
The Good Morning America cohost proudly flaunted her smooth scalp while undergoing chemotherapy to treat breast cancer in 2007.
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Lance Armstrong
The champion cyclist battled back from stage-four testicular cancer before winning seven straight Tour de France titles.
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Melissa Etheridge
The Grammy and Oscar winner became an inspiring activist after a lumpectomy and chemotherapy cleared her of breast cancer in 2005.
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for LA Times
Julia Sweeney
The former Saturday Night Live standout mined her breast cancer battle for comedic material that turned into God Said Ha!, her successful one-woman show that eventually went to Broadway.
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