Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, opens up about why he kept cancer diagnosis private

n a recent interview on “TODAY” with Craig Melvin, Ledward Boseman revealed that the signs of illness appeared shortly before his diagnosis in 2016.

Nearly six years after the death of Chadwick Boseman, his widow Simone Ledward Boseman is sharing new insight into the actor’s private battle with colon cancer and why he chose to keep it out of the public eye.

In a recent interview on “TODAY” with Craig Melvin, Ledward Boseman revealed that the signs of illness appeared shortly before his diagnosis in 2016.

“I didn’t know that he was experiencing anything until he had already been to the doctor twice,” she said. “It all seemed to come about very suddenly. It was a matter of weeks that he started not feeling well.”

Boseman, best known for his role as the titular character in “Black Panther,” was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer at age 39. According to his wife, the diagnosis came as a shock, especially given his age. “Because he was so young, he wasn’t even at the point where he would consider having a colonoscopy,” she explained, noting how difficult the disease can be to detect early.

Despite the seriousness of his condition, Ledward Boseman said the couple initially believed he would recover. “To us, it was going to be a challenging moment, but something that he would come out on the other side of and be fine,” she said. “There wasn’t much talk at all of the possibility of him not being OK.”

Boseman continued working throughout treatment, filming multiple major projects while undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy. His decision to keep his illness private, Ledward Boseman explained, was deeply intentional.

“Chad was not a person that would have wanted to be treated any differently because people knew that he was sick,” she said. “He didn’t want the work to suffer just because he was sick. He didn’t want to be handled with kid gloves.”

She added that his work gave him purpose during that time. “The work is what was keeping him moving,” she said.

Boseman briefly entered remission in 2018, which his wife described as “a beautiful year,” before the cancer returned as Stage 4 later that year. He died in August 2020 at age 43, a loss that stunned fans around the world.

Reflecting on grief years later, Ledward Boseman said, “The edges get less sharp… but it doesn’t go away.”

Her reflections offer a more personal look at Boseman’s journey, one defined not just by illness, but by strength, intention, and an unwavering commitment to his craft.