Though Chadwick Boseman is no longer with us, he lives on in the strength the Black Panther continues to inspire.
Nearly a year since the beloved actor died following a private years-long battle with colon cancer, a mural in his honor—known as "King Chad"—has been moved to its new permanent home at Children's Hospital L.A. There, the touching image of the late action star with a young cancer patient wearing a Black Panther mask and saluting each other will continue to uplift all who cross its path. On Wednesday, April 28, the hospital and the artist responsible for the mural, Nikkolas Smith, shared pictures and footage of the unveiling. Nikkolas was joined by Daniel, one of the hospital's cancer patients, for the special moment.
"My King Chad mural that was at Downtown Disney has found a new home! I'm happy to share that CHLA @childrensla is the new permanent home for this special installation," the artist explained in his Instagram post. "I was particularly touched to unveil it and show it to Daniel who is a superhero battling cancer, just like a Chadwick, and he is a big Black Panther fan."
He concluded, "I hope that children like Daniel will be reminded of their inner superpower every time they see it. Long Live The King!"
While the world was unaware of his cancer diagnosis, Chadwick devoted his time to visiting and supporting children in hospitals. "Now we know they had a connection," Nikkolas told the hospital, "that we didn't realize."
Speaking of his special piece, Nikkolas told the hospital, "I'm always trying to put someone in somebody else's shoes, and to see their struggle and to try to create some form of empathy. This was really in line with that, to see the struggles we didn't know about with Chadwick and so many children out there."
Chadwick earned his first Oscar nomination posthumously for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. While the late star lost to Anthony Hopkins, the winning actor honored the Avengers alum in his belated acceptance speech. "I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman," Hopkins said, "who was taken from us far too early."