THIS IS "TODAY," WITH PETER
ALEXANDER, KRISTEN WELKER, AND
DYLAN DREYER.
>> WELCOME TO "TODAY" AND THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON
THIS SATURDAY MORNING.
WE ARE ALL WAKING UP TO THE
DEVASTATING AND SHOCKING NEWS
THAT ACTOR CHADWICK BOSEMAN HAS
DIED.
>> YOU KNOW, FROM JACKIE
ROBINSON AND THURGOOD MARSHALL
TO JAMES BROWN, HE REALLY, I
THINK, JUST EMBODIED AND
IMMORTALIZED SO MANY BLACK
LEGENDS AND IN THE PROCESS OF
DOING THAT, HE BECAME ONE
HIMSELF.
OF COURSE, HE WAS BEST KNOWN FOR
PLAYING THE BLACK PANTHER.
>> THAT ROLE INSPIRED SO MANY
YOUNG PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF ALL
AGES.
AND THE PASSING OF CHADWICK
BOSEMAN IS OUR TOP STORY THIS
MORNING.
SHOCKING OVERNIGHT NEWS THAT THE
ACTOR WHO WAS JUST 43 YEARS OLD
DIED OF COLON CANCER.
NBC’S KATHY PARK JOINS US WITH
MORE ON HIS LIFE AND IMPACT.
KATHY, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> KRISTEN, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
THIS IS JUST A HEART-BREAKING
STORY.
THE NEWS OF BOSEMAN’S DEATH
SHOCKED FANS AROUND THE WORLD,
INCLUDING MYSELF.
HE WAS A FIGHTER IN EVERY SENSE
OF THE WORD.
HE PLAYED STRONG CHARACTERS ON
SCREEN, BUT WHAT MANY OF US
DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT WAS HIS CANCER
DIAGNOSIS AND THAT HE STILL KEPT
WORKING THROUGH SURGERIES AND
EVEN CHEMO.
THIS MORNING, HOLLYWOOD IS
GRIEVING THE LOSS OF CHADWICK
BOSEMAN, THE STAR WHO PLAYED
ICONIC BLACK FIGURES, FROM
JACKIE ROBINSON --
>> GIVE ME A UNIFORM, GIVE ME A
NUMBER ON MY BACK, AND I’LL GIVE
YOU THE GUTS.
>> Reporter: AND JAMES BROWN.
♪ ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR ♪
>> Reporter: AND KING TACHALA IN
"BLACK PANTHER."
NEWS OF HIS DEATH WAS ANNOUNCED
ON SOCIAL MEDIA, DETAILING HIS
FOUR-YEAR BATTLE WITH COLON
CANCER.
THE ACTOR NEVER SPOKE PUBLICLY
ABOUT HIS DIAGNOSIS, EVEN AS IT
PROGRESSED TO STAGE IV.
HIS FAMILY RELEASED A STATEMENT
LATE FRIDAY.
A TRUE FIGHTER, CHADWICK
PERSEVERED THROUGH IT ALL AND
BROUGHT YOU MANY OF THE FILMS
YOU HAVE COME TO LOVE SO MUCH.
HIS PASSING SHOCKED HOLLYWOOD
AND BEYOND.
FORMER CAST MATE CHRIS EVANS
WRITING, HE HAD SO MUCH AMAZING
WORK STILL LEFT TO CREATE.
I’M ENDLESSLY GRATEFUL FOR OUR
FRIENDSHIP.
MARK RUFFALO WRITING, YOU
BELIEVED IN THE SACRED NATURE OF
THE WORK AND GAVE YOUR ALL.
MARVEL STUDIOS SAYING YOUR
LEGACY WILL LIVE ON FOREVER.
>> Reporter: BOZEMAN BROUGHT
HISTORY TO LIFE WITH THE HIS
PORTRAYAL OF THURGOOD MARSHALL,
BUT IT WAS HIS PERFORMANCE IN
"BLACK PANTHER" THAT MADE HIM A
HOUSEHOLD NAME.
DURING A SUNDAY SIT-DOWN WITH
WILLIE GEIST, HE SPOKE CANDIDLY
ABOUT THE FILM’S SUCCESS.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE PEOPLE
RESPONDING TO?
>> I THINK THERE’S A THIRST FOR
THESE IMAGES.
THERE’S A THIRST FOR A BLACK
SUPERHERO.
AS FAR AS MY CHARACTER GOES,
THERE’S A REAL SEARCH FOR HOW DO
I LEAD.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR
THAT, LEADERS THAT ACTUALLY CARE
ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: IN THE ROLE AS
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER AT HOWARD
UNIVERSITY, HIS ALMA MATER, HE
WOULD DELIVER A POWERFUL SPEECH
TOLL INSPIRE
TO INSPIRE EVEN MORE LIVES.
>> EVERYTHING YOU FOUGHT FOR WAS
NOT FOR YOURSELF, IT WAS FOR
THOSE THAT COME AFTER.
>> Reporter: HOWARD ALUM AND
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
KAMALA HARRIS TWEETED, MY FRIEND
AND FELLOW BISON, CHADWICK
BOSEMAN WAS BRILLIANT, KIND,
LEARNED AND HUMBLE.
THIS MORNING, FANS, FRIENDS, AND
FAMILY ARE REMEMBERING THIS
REAL-LIFE SUPERHERO, WHO WAS
FIGHTING HIS OWN BATTLE BEHIND
THE SCENES.
CHADWICK BOSEMAN WAS 43 YEARS
OLD.
AND WE LEARNED THAT BOSEMAN DIED
IN HIS HOME.
HIS WIFE AND FAMILY WERE BY HIS
SIDE.
JUST A DEVASTATING LOSS.
GUYS, BACK TO YOU.
>> KATHY PARK, THANK YOU FOR
LOOKING BACK AT HIS LEGACY.
HE WAS THIS AFRICAN-AMERICAN
ICON.
AND TO THINK ABOUT HOW STRONG HE
WAS, THAT HE SHOT SO MANY OF
THOSE FILMS WHILE HE WAS
BATTLING THAT DISEASE.
>> HE JUST INSPIRED SO MANY
CHILDREN TO IMAGE THEMSELVES AS
A BLACK SUPERHERO.
TODAY, SO MANY REMEMBERING HIM,
