United States actor Chadwick Boseman, best known for playing Black Panther in the hit Marvel superhero franchise, has died of colon cancer aged 43.
Boseman died at home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side, a statement posted on social media said.
Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago but had not made the information public.
The news has left fans and the film world stunned.
Below are some of the reactions to Boseman’s death:
The true power of @ChadwickBoseman was bigger than anything we saw on screen. From the Black Panther to Jackie Robinson, he inspired generations and showed them they can be anything they want — even super heroes. Jill and I are praying for his loved ones at this difficult time.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 29, 2020
2020 taking the wrong people away from us.
Not only was he Black Panther. He was jackie Robinson. He was Thurgood Marshall. He was the culture!
An icon. Rest in peace. Love goes out to all of his family, the impact he had will live on. ❤️RIP Chadwick Boseman
#WakandaForever pic.twitter.com/xO77JcNlG9
— Aquabae 𓃤 𓅇 𓅋 𓆘 (@aqualady6666) August 29, 2020
In 2018, I joined my children to watch the much talked about ‘Black Panther’. It was a good film, and I was happy they took me to see it. @chadwickboseman was an unprecedented and witty act, and his excellence was consistent across his many other movies. He will be dearly missed. pic.twitter.com/PNnaThpmAz
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) August 29, 2020
Boseman came to prominence playing real-life figures – baseball great Jackie Robinson in 2013’s 42, and soul singer James Brown in 2014’s Get on Up.
However, it will be as the titular Black Panther in the blockbuster 2018 film he will be best remembered.
Boseman stars as the ruler of Wakanda, a fictional African nation with the most advanced technology on earth.
As well as winning critical praise and taking more than $1.3 billion US dollars (£973m) at cinemas worldwide, the film was widely seen as a cultural milestone for having a largely black cast and a black director, Ryan Coogler.
Boseman said last year that the film had changed what it means to be “young, gifted and black”.