Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Leeward, is filing a probate case because the Marvel star died without a will. Leeward is asking a judge to make her a limited authority administrator for Boseman’s estate. ET obtained court documents concerning the filing. According to the documentation, the estate is worth $938,500. Leroy and Carolyn Boseman, the parents of the Marvel actor, are the only other family members listed in the court documents. A lot of fans were surprised to learn that the Black Panther star had married Leeward before he passed. They had kept their engagement and marriage largely quiet over all these years. But, now she and the rest of the Boseman family are just trying to process this substantial loss.
Videos by ComicBook.com
After the star’s tragic passing, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler penned a tribute to his friend.
“Chad deeply valued his privacy, and I wasn’t privy to the details of his illness. After his family released their statement, I realized that he was living with his illness the entire time I knew him,” he began. “Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering. He lived a beautiful life. And he made great art. Day after day, year after year. That was who he was. He was an epic firework display. I will tell stories about being there for some of the brilliant sparks till the end of my days. What an incredible mark he’s left for us.”
“I haven’t grieved a loss this acute before. I spent the last year preparing, imagining, and writing words for him to say, that we weren’t destined to see. It leaves me broken knowing that I won’t be able to watch another close-up of him in the monitor again or walk up to him and ask for another take,” Coogler admitted.
“It hurts more to know that we can’t have another conversation, or facetime, or text message exchange,” the director added. “He would send vegetarian recipes and eating regimens for my family and me to follow during the pandemic. He would check in on me and my loved ones, even as he dealt with the scourge of cancer.”
“In African cultures we often refer to loved ones that have passed on as ancestors. Sometimes you are genetically related. Sometimes you are not,” Coogler continued. “I had the privilege of directing scenes of Chad’s character, T’Challa, communicating with the ancestors of Wakanda. We were in Atlanta, in an abandoned warehouse, with bluescreens, and massive movie lights, but Chad’s performance made it feel real.”
He concluded, “I think it was because, from the time that I met him, the ancestors spoke through him. It’s no secret to me now how he was able to skillfully portray some of our most notable ones. I had no doubt that he would live on and continue to bless us with more. But it is with a heavy heart and a sense of deep gratitude to have ever been in his presence, that I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.”
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
