Josh Gad Shares The Last Text He Got From Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman passed away at 43 years old on Aug. 28, 2020. His family confirmed the news in a statement to Associated Press, revealing that Boseman had been quietly battling stage 3 colon cancer for four years prior to his death. "A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," the statement read. "From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and several more — all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy."

Boseman never spoke publicly about having colon cancer, so fans were understandably shocked by the news of his seemingly sudden death. In their mourning, many fans have turned to the Black Panther star's last words for some sort of sign. 

Josh Gad, who co-starred with Boseman in Marshall, revealed one of the late actor's final text messages, and his words are uncannily meaningful. Here's what Boseman said. 

Josh Gad paid tribute to his late friend and Marshall co-star Chadwick Boseman on Twitter, sharing one of the last messages he received from the star. Gad wrote, "Breaking my twitter silence to share some beauty. This was one of my final texts from the brilliant & once-in-lifetime talent, @chadwickboseman- take this in & celebrate life. He knew how precious every moment was. Tonight the Heavens received one of its most powerful angels."

Gad then shared a screenshot of the text, which Boseman sent after a series of gloomy days in Los Angeles. Boseman wrote an uplifting message to his friend, urging Gad to go outside and "take a DEEP breath" and "catch the rain."

The message began, "If you are in Los Angeles, you woke up this morning to the rare and peaceful sound of a steady precipitation. If you're like me, maybe you looked at the week's forecast and found that it's supposed to rain for three straight days; not without breaks of sunlight and reprieves of moist gloom, but yeah it's gonna be coming down like cats and dogs. Great. We're stuck inside these damn quarantines because of the COVID, and now we can't even get no sun in Cali. Come on now!"

Boseman continued, "But now that the rain has stopped and today's storm has cleared, I urge you to go outside and take a DEEP breath."

Read the rest of his inspiring message below.

Chadwick Boseman told Josh Gad to "notice how fresh the air is right now, after our skies have had a 3 week break from the usual relentless barrage of fumes from bumper to bumper LA commuters, and now today's rain has given the City of Angels a long overdo and much-needed shower." 

He wrote, "Inhale and exhale this moment, and thank God for the unique beauties and wonders of this day. We should take advantage of every moment we can to enjoy the simplicity of God's creation, whether it be clear skies and sun or clouded over with gloom. And hey, if the air is this clear right now, and it does rain tomorrow, I might even put jars and bins out and catch the rain. Throw that in the water filter and I have a water more alkaline than any bottled brand out there."

Boseman's words about seizing the beauty of the present moment ring especially true in light of his tragic passing. Nothing reminds people not to take the present for granted like the loss of a loved one, and for many Black Panther fans, Boseman's death hits especially close to home.

The sweet texts also weren't the end of Gad's social media tribute to Boseman.

Josh Gad shared a tearful video on Instagram about Chadwick Boseman's passing. He said, "There aren't words to express what an amazing human being Chadwick Boseman was."

"You come upon people in your life who are next-level good," Gad explained. "This was a man who was beyond talented, and was so unbelievably giving, not only as a performer, but as a human being."

He added that in addition to playing T'Challa in Black Panther, Boseman was "T'Challa in real life."

"He was somebody who just gave and gave and gave, and never stopped giving," Gad said through tears. "2020 has been so devastating for so many reasons. This one hurts... I don't know how to process this. But I want to send my love to his entire family, and to all of the fans out there."

He ended by sharing: "Chadwick, rest in peace my friend. I love you."