Former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama paid tribute to Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman on Aug. 29 (United States time).
The 43-year-old actor died from cancer, it was announced on Aug. 28 night.
2016 meeting
Barack Obama resurfaced a photo that Boseman shared in July 2016 after visiting the White House.
The actor was there to work with kids, having portrayed the Major League Baseball’s first black player Jackie Robinson.
The former president wrote: "You could tell right away that he was blessed. To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years."
Barack Obama shared other photos of the duo in Facebook and Instagram posts that shared the same tribute:
The Instagram post hit three million likes in five hours.
Michelle Obama also pays tribute
Michelle Obama also looked back to the time she watched Boseman portray the legendary Brooklyn Dodger in the film 42.
“Barack and I were alone in the White House, on a weekend night with the girls away. I was so profoundly moved by the rawness and emotion in the barrier-breaking story,” she recalled.
Michelle Obama reflected on Boseman’s “warmth and sincerity in person”, the moment she met the actor in the White House State Dining Room.
“There’s a reason he could play Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and King T’Challa with such captivating depth and honesty. He, too, knew what it meant to truly persevere,” she wrote.
“He, too, knew that real strength starts inside. And he, too, belongs right there with them as a hero—for Black kids and for all of our kids. There’s no better gift with which to grace our world.”
Boseman served as an ambassador with Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan initiative “When We All Vote”.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also pays tribute
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris also honoured Boseman in their own tributes.
Boseman's legacy
Boseman was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer four years ago, according to a statement posted to the actor's Twitter account on Aug. 28 night confirming his death.
Boseman will be remembered for his titular role in Disney and Marvel universe as the "Black Panther", Wakanda King T’Challa.
The 2018 film was the first Marvel movie to feature a majority-black main cast.
It was one of the highest-grossing superhero films ever.
Top photos via Barack Obama Facebook & Chadwick Boseman Twitter