Chadwick Aaron Boseman ‘Black Panther actor’ Dies of Cancer
“Black Panther” film star Chadwick Boseman, an actor whose work celebrated African-American pioneers and culture, has died at age 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer, according to an announcement posted on Friday to his social media accounts.
Boseman, a native of South Carolina who began his screen career in episodes of television dramas such as “Third Watch,” “Law & Order” and “ER,” passed away at his home, with his wife and family at his side, the statement on Twitter and Facebook said. It did not specify when he died. He resided in Los Angeles.
Boseman made his feature film debut with a small part in the 2008 sports biopic “The Express,” a drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first Black player to win the Heisman trophy.
He went on to star as a number of other real-life characters famed for breaking America’s racial barriers, including soul singer James Brown in “Get on Up,” Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall,” and baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson in “42.”
But the actor’s most memorable role was his performance as T’Challa, king of the fictional, futuristic African kingdom of Wakanda and the crime fighter known as Black Panther, in the first major studio superhero movie featuring a predominantly African-American cast.
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Embraced by global audiences, “Black Panther” became the second highest grossing movie at box offices worldwide in 2018, heralded for its vibrant celebration of African culture and applauded as a milestone for racial diversity in Hollywood.
The film was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture. It won three Academy Awards – in the best original score, best costume design and best production design categories. It also won the top Screen Actors Guild award that year for best movie ensemble.
Boseman originated the Black Panther film role two years earlier in Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War,” and reprised the part twice more in 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”
In June, Boseman joined more than 300 Black actors and filmmakers who signed an open letter urging Hollywood to steer away from entertainment glorifying police brutality and corruption and to invest in anti-racist content.
The letter was written in the midst of a cultural and political reckoning with systematic racism in the United States in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minneapolis.
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Tributes and expressions of shock poured in on Twitter from fans and fellow Hollywood figures, including Marvel film co-stars Mark Ruffalo (the Incredible Hulk) and Chris Evans (Captain America).
The Twitter-Facebook statement said Boseman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016, an illness that progressed ultimately to stage 4 and went publicly undisclosed until his death, though he had grown noticeably thin in recent public appearances and social media posts.
“We never know what people are enduring,” Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., wrote on Twitter in a salute to the actor. “Humans … we are wonders. Thank you, Chadwick, for gifting us with your greatness in the midst of a painful struggle.”
Nigerian musical icon, Ayodeji Balogun popularly known as ‘Wizkid’s recent album “Made in Lagos Deluxe” gave critical insight to his background in the city of Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recent album which was released August, 27, is a continuation of Wizkid’s initial “Made in Lagos” album which dropped October 30, 2020.
NAN reports that the recent album had been doing numbers, selling fast ever since it was released.
The 18 track album with four new songs gives an insight to the background of Wizkid, with the name alone ‘Made in Lagos’ giving us a little outline on his career.
The album also depicts how humble Wizkid is to his hometown, Lagos State, for making him who he is today,
It said that the “Made in Lagos Deluxe” featured artistes like Buju and Canadian born singer Justin Bieber.
The album was meant to feature Bella Shmurda but because of the issue he had with his former record label he wasn’t featured but was used for adlibds in ‘Anoti’.
Justin Bieber hopped on the remix of Wizkid’s greatest hit song “Essence” featured alongside Nigerian singer, Tems, which he classified as “The song of the summer”
The remix of ‘Essence’ currently sits at number 18 on Apple Music Hot 100 America and 4th on Apple Music Hot 100 Nigeria.
“Mood” featuring Buju currently sits at number 1 on Apple Music Hot 100 Nigeria with “Anoti” sitting at number two respectively.
NAN reports the the album itself sits at number 1 on Apple Music Album Hot 100 Nigeria and debuted at number five in Apple Music Album Hot 100 America, which is the highest ever recorded for a Nigerian artiste.
The album has recieved several reviews from Wizkid’s fans and rival fans as some called it a hit album, while some also called it trash.
The album overall recieved more positive reviews than the negative reviews.
Popular Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson Okojie, has made it unto the list of 100 influential African women and was also named in Google’s most searched list.
The renowned actress, who said she was so excited by the recognition, took to her Instagram page @mercyjohnsonokojie to announce the good news with an emotional video in which she expressed gratitude to fans for supporting her after achieving major milestones.
According to the mother of four, her fans had continued to show love and support for her brand, pushing her to be better.
“I just wanted to say thank you so much to 11 million of you. You guys rock, you guys pushed my brand forward every step of the way.
“I’m so grateful, there’s no me without you, and don’t you ever think for one minute that I take you guys for granted.
“I’d never. Don’t stop loving my brand, don’t stop supporting, and don’t stop pushing. You guys rock,” she wrote.
Okojie said the recognition called for a great reason to celebrate, because she has added more feathers to her hat.
“Thanks for loving me through the years. I love you all too! No me without you. Giveaway loading,” the actress added.
The actress made the list alongside other influential women, including Aisha Yesufu, Angelique Kidjo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, among others.
Mercy Johnson Okojie is an award-winning, multi-talented Nigerian actress. She is a popular Nollywood actress, who is loved by many because she seamlessly fits into any assigned role.
She is an embodiment of humility as well as one of the “most real” personalities in the movie industry, also involved in several personal businesses, including her trademark kitchen talk show.
Similarly, Mercy Johnson is the senior special assistant (SSA) to the Kogi state governor on entertainment, arts and culture.
She is married to Prince Odianosen Okojie and their marriage is blessed with four kids.
The Nigerian Direct to Home Pay TV Operator, TStv Africa, has announced zero naira viewing for users in the month of August.
TStv head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Demola Olarewaju, who made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the offer began from July 30, through Aug. 31, for all users of its decoders across the country.
Olarewaju said that the company had earlier apologised to users following a glitch in the transmission that made them unable to use their smart decoders.
He also said the company, on the new media platform, announced that viewers could now enjoy all their High Definition (HD) channels without being charged.
“TStv service is now fully up. As compensation for the downtime, we have made all TStv channels Zero Naira from July 30, 2021 till August 31, 2021.
“Kindly add as many channels as you want, you will not be charged one kobo for the next month. Thank you all,’’ he said.
TSTV, the first satellite TV to introduce pay per view in the country, launched its operation on Oct. 1, 2020.
The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the new operator’s pay-as-you-view will whittle down the exploitation of satellite television viewers by former providers over the years.
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