Prior to his passing, Chadwick Boseman gave a moving speech on what Denzel Washington meant to him.

Looking back, Chadwick Boseman had a specific reason for not revealing his cancer diagnosis. The actor had tragic final days, passing away due to a battle with colon cancer.

Despite his compromised health, Boseman made it a priority to go about his work, without letting anyone know about his diagnosis. That held true for Denzel Washington despite their time working together.

In the following, we’re going to take a closer look at Boseman’s emotional speech for Washington. Denzel is usually a tough guy in Hollywood, but broke down during Boseman’s moving words.

We’ll take a look back at the moment and what the fans had to say. We’ll also reveal Washington’s reaction to Boseman’s tragic passing.

The stars of Wakanda Forever found ways to pay homage to Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman in moments large and small.

Chadwick Boseman Showed Lots Of Gratitude Towards Denzel Washington, Who Was Emotional During The Speech

Back in June of 2019, Denzel Washington was honored at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award. Chadwick Boseman had the responsibility of honoring Washington, and he did exactly that, without fans knowing of Boseman’s illness. It took a lot of courage as Boseman graciously discussed his personal experience with Denzel.

He said, “As fate would have it, I was one of the students that he paid for. Imagine receiving the letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet.

Boseman continued, “I have no doubt that there are similar stories at Boys & Girls Clubs and theatres, and churches across the country, where I know you have also inspired and motivated others. ‘An offering from a sage and a king is more than silver and gold. It is the seed of hope, a bud of faith.”

Boseman would go on to reveal that without Washington there would be no Blank Panther.

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Denzel Washington has become one of the most rich and famous actors of all time which is even more impressive given his difficult childhood.

Boseman continued on, discussing the groundwork Denzel laid for others. “That generation stands on your shoulders. The daily battles won, the thousand territories gained, the mini sacrifices you made for the culture on film sets through your career. The things you refused to comprise along the way laid the blueprints for us to follow.”

Not only was Denzel move by the speech, but the same held true for fans.

Fans Praise Chadwick Boseman For His Speech, Especially Given The State Of His Health At The Time

As expected, the most liked comments on YouTube praised Boseman for his courage in giving such a speech, despite his difficulties at the time.

The top comments wrote, “The fact that he was terrible ill when giving this speech is incredible. He loved to make his dream true, not to catch some easy tears. What a wonderful person we lost.”

“I don’t know how many times I heard this speech. Sometimes I come back here to hear again, to cherish these two phenomenal artists, to be remembered by what gratitude and hope looks like, to remember that our actions impact other people’s lives always.”

“Chadwick was so eloquent and had a beautiful way about him. This speech is one of the greatest I’ve heard coming from an actor. He just said everything so perfectly. RIP.”

Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington have remained friends since they worked together in ‘Man of Fire’ almost 20 years ago.

Although fans felt as though Washington knew about Boseman’s illness, that wasn’t the case. Boseman kept it to himself, and continued working despite the cancer diagnosis years prior.

Denzel Washington Issued A Tribute Of His Own Following Chadwick Boseman’s Tragic Passing

Denzel Washington quietly wondered if something was wrong with Chadwick during their time together. Looking back at the way he handled things, Washington called Boseman “a man among men.”

Via: Deposit Photos

Denzel revealed, “He suffered quietly. He made the movie, and nobody knew. I didn’t know. He never said a peep about it. He just did his job. I wondered if something was wrong because he seemed weak or tired sometimes. We had no idea, and it was nobody’s business. Good for him, keeping it to himself.”

Washington was also emotional, thinking back on Boseman’s proposal to Taylor Simone Ledward.

“I used to watch how she took care of him,” Washington revealed. “And I actually said to him … ‘Man, you know, you need to put a ring on that finger,’ cause she kept her eye on him and she watched him. And I’m like, ‘Man, she loves that guy.’ … But I didn’t know what we know now.”

At the age of 43, Boseman lost his battle to colon cancer in August of 2020. He was diagnosed in 2016, but the actor had kept things a secret ever since.