Simone Ledward Boseman, the widow ofactor Chadwick Boseman, is opening up about his battle with colon cancer nearlysix years after his death.
In aninterview with the "Today" showaired March 20, Boseman told host Craig Melvin that both she and her husband were shocked by the suddenness of his diagnosis.The "Black Panther" actordied in 2020 at the age of 43.
"I didn't know that he was experiencing anything until he had already been to the doctor twice. It all seemed to come about very suddenly. It was a matter of weeks that he started not feeling well," she said.
Chadwick Boseman receivesposthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Boseman described colon cancer as "really tricky in that way because he was so young, he wasn't even at the point where he would consider having a colonoscopy."
"I still don't know his family history," she told Melvin, saying that despite his Stage 3 diagnosis, the pair felt "very confident" that he "would make it through."
"To us, it was going be a challenging moment, but something that he would come out on the other side of and be fine. And they would do a surgery, and he would do some chemo afterward, and he would be OK," she said. "And there wasn't much talk at all of the possibility of him not being OK on the other side of that."
To explore the idea that he wouldn't be OK felt "like a betrayal of faith," she said. "There are a lot of moments where I look back on that time and wish that we had been able to find a way to talk about that."
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Boseman's deathcame as a shock to many fans who had not known he had been sick at all. His wife told "Today" that the decision to keep the battle private was intentional.
"Chad was not a person that would have wanted to be treated any differently because people knew that he was sick," she said. "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."
Friends, family and colleagues of the late "Black Panther" actor, Chadwick Boseman, gathered on Thursday, Nov. 20, to honor him as he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was an emotional moment for his widow Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler and co-star Michael B. Jordan, and his "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" costar Viola Davis, who spoke at the ceremony. "This star, as beautiful as it is on the Walk of Fame, shines a whole lot less brighter than Chadwick is in heaven," Davis said as she concluded her speech.
A pair of shoes were also placed Bosemna's star during his posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony in Los Angeles. Boseman died on Aug. 29, 2020, at the age of 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
"Black Panther" actress Letitia Wright, Boseman's widow Taylor Simone Ledward and "Sinners" actor Michael B. Jordan pay tribute to the actor. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
"Black Panther" actress Letitia Wright, Boseman's widow Taylor Simone Ledward and "Sinners" actor Michael B. Jordan pay tribute to the actor. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Chadwick Boseman's star is seen on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Nov. 20, 2025, in Hollywood, California. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Chadwick Boseman's brothers Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman pictured with Michael B. Jordan. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
"I have to believe that Chadwick is still alive," Viola Davis said during her remarks. "I can't use the word 'gone' or 'death' really when thinking about him." The Oscar-winning actress shared a touching memory of Boseman. "We did 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' soon before he left us and he was always trying to engage me on the set, always sort of telling me in unassuming ways that ... I think that he understood the cap of success but the true power and significance of transcendence and that was usually the gist of all of our conversations ... What happens when you realize that you're possibly transitioning? That there's something else, right?"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
"I celebrate him today. And I say to him, I hope all the angels in heaven just sang him to a beautiful rest," Viola Davis said visibly emotional. "And I thank him for what he left behind in me, which is a burning ember that always guides me to a higher meaning of my work and my purpose."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Taylor Simone Ledward, Viola Davis, Ryan Coogler and Julius Tennon attend as Actor Chadwick Boseman is honored with a Posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Michael B. Jordan touches Chadwick Boseman's posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
"When I think of Chadwick Boseman I think of three things: leadership, teaching and generosity," director Ryan Coogler said. "He was an incredible leader." He was also wearing a necklace that featured a pendant engraved with Boseman's face. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Taylor Simone Ledward also took to the podium to pay tribute to her husband, Chadwick Boseman. "Chad, today we recognize a lifetime of artistry. We recognize your skill and your devotion and we cement your legacy as a hero and icon," she said. "You lived with honor and you walked in truth. You were as brilliant as you were beautiful and as courageous as you were kind. We love you, we miss you and we thank you."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Kevin Boseman (8th L), Derrick Boseman (3rd R) and guests attend as Chadwick Boseman is honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler, visibly emotional, speaking about Chadwick Boseman." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Derrick Boseman, Taylor Simone Ledward and Kevin Boseman" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Derrick Boseman, Taylor Simone Ledward and Kevin Boseman " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Chadwick Boseman's "Black Panther" stars Letitia Wright and Michael B. Jordan" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Michael B. Jordan" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Taylor Simone Ledward" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kevin Boseman holds a portrait of his brother Chadwick Boseman. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Letitia Wright, Taylor Simone Ledward and Michael B. Jordan" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A portrait of Chadwick Boseman is seen placed on his posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Chadwick Boseman's friends and family. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A view of Chadwick Boseman's covered star." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See Chadwick Boseman's posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Friends, family and colleagues of the late "Black Panther" actor, Chadwick Boseman, gathered on Thursday, Nov. 20, to honor him as he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was an emotional moment for his widow Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler and co-star Michael B. Jordan, and his "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" costar Viola Davis, who spoke at the ceremony."This star, as beautiful as it is on the Walk of Fame, shines a whole lot less brighter than Chadwick is in heaven," Davis said as she concluded her speech.A pair of shoes were also placed Bosemna's star during his posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony in Los Angeles. Boseman died on Aug. 29, 2020, at the age of 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer.
While Boseman said that time had eased some of her grief, she revealed it was still a "painful" process.
"The edges get less sharp, I think, is the best way to put it," she said. "There are still edges and there are still a lot of painful moments. But I think it becomes easier to find the love in those moments, as well. You become more accustomed to carrying the weight of grief. But it doesn't go away."
After starting out on TV shows like "Lincoln Heights" and "Persons Unknown,"Boseman hadhis breakthrough playing Jackie Robinson in 2013's "42" and then a year later inhabited the colorful wardrobe of R&B superstar James Brown in "Get on Up."
It was 2016, though, that started him on theroad to superstardomwith a cameo as T'Challa, a young Wakandan prince (later king) and heroic warrior, in Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War." Two years later, he headlined the blockbuster "Black Panther," a movie that caused a worldwide movement as Black men and women, boys and girls, took to heart its hero and the cross-armed "Wakanda Forever" salute.
Contributing: Andrea Mandell, Brian Truitt, Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Chadwick Boseman widow says cancer came on 'suddenly' but grief stays