• Actor Chadwick Boseman arrives at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in London, Britain. Reuters
    Actor Chadwick Boseman arrives at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in London, Britain. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman greets fans at the premiere of 'Avengers: Infinity War'. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman greets fans at the premiere of 'Avengers: Infinity War'. Reuters
  • Stan Lee poses with Chadwick Boseman at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in Los Angeles, California. Reuters
    Stan Lee poses with Chadwick Boseman at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in Los Angeles, California. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman at the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in Los Angeles. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman at the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in Los Angeles. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman embraces Michael B Jordan at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman embraces Michael B Jordan at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
  • Actor Chadwick Boseman of 'Black Panther' arrives at the 91st Academy Awards. Reuters
    Actor Chadwick Boseman of 'Black Panther' arrives at the 91st Academy Awards. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman poses backstage with his Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award for 'Black Panther' at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman poses backstage with his Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award for 'Black Panther' at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman poses backstage at the 2019 American Music Awards. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman poses backstage at the 2019 American Music Awards. Reuters

'A tribute fit for a King': Chadwick Boseman memorialised in most-liked tweet of all time


Sophie Prideaux
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The news of the death of actor Chadwick Boseman shocked and saddened the world.

The Black Panther star, who was 43, was fighting a four-year battle with colon cancer in private, undergoing numerous surgeries and chemotherapy treatments at the same time as making several movies.

His death was announced on Saturday, August 29, via a family statement posted on his social media accounts, alongside a black-and-white portrait of the star.

"It was the honour of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther," the statement said. "He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side."

Twitter has now confirmed that post is the most liked tweet in history.

Just 24 hours after it was posted, on the morning on Sunday, August 30, the tweet had received more than 6.2 million likes and had been retweeted more than three million times.

"Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever," the official account for Twitter said.

The next closest tweet was sent by Barack Obama in 2017 and featured an image of children and the words of Nelson Mandela. The tweet received more than 4.3 million likes.

Social media has been flooded with tributes to Boseman since news of his death, including several poignant statements from his many Marvel co-stars.

"All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of Chadwick Boseman," the actor's Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo wrote on Twitter. "What a man, and what an immense talent. Brother, you were one of the all time greats and your greatness was only beginning. Lord love ya. Rest in power, King."

Boseman became the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the record-breaking Marvel franchise with 2018's Black Panther.

The movie, set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences, becoming the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing more than $1 billion (Dh3.67bn) worldwide.