Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, tearfully accepted the honor on his behalf. “He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices,” she began. As presenter Renée Zellweger watched, Ledward continued, “He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you, ‘You can,’ that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing at this moment in history.” Ledward continued to list names of the cast and crew of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom that Boseman would have honored. “I don’t have his words, but we have to take all the moments to celebrate the ones we love,” she concluded. “So thank you, HFPA, for the opportunity to do exactly that. And hon, you keep ’em coming. Thank you.” Boseman died in August 2020 from a secret battle with colon cancer. The Black Pantherstar was just 43 years old. Boseman’s costar, Viola Davis, previously marveled at his work in what would ultimately be his final film. “There was a transcendence about Chad’s performance, but there needed to be,” the Oscar winner told The New York Times. “This is a man who’s raging at God, who’s lost even his faith. So [Boseman has] got to sort of go to the edge of hope and death and life in order to make that character work. Of course, you look back on it and see that that’s where he was.” She added, “I always say, a carpenter or anyone else that does work, they need certain tools in order to create. Our tool is us. We’ve got to use us. There’s no way to just sort of bind whatever you’re going through and leave it in your hotel. You’ve got to bring that with you, and you need permission to do that. And he went there, he really did.” Next, laugh out loud and look back at Golden Globe hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s friendship through the years!
