NEW YORK (AP) — “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, whose death from colon cancer shocked fans, was honored at the MTV Video Music Awards as a hero in real life, not just on the big screen.

Host Keke Palmer said the Sunday night awards show was dedicated to Boseman, who died at the age of 43 on Friday .

Boseman had previously been honored by the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2018 for his role as the Marvel Comics superhero.

Palmer said Boseman was “a true hero, not just on screen but in everything he did.” On screen, Boseman played Black icons like Jackie Robinson, James Brown and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

“His impact lives forever,” Palmer noted.

It’s was the second channel to recognize the impact of the actor that night. ABC planned to air “Black Panther” commercial-free Sunday as a prime-time tribute to Chadwick Boseman, followed by an ABC News Special, “Chadwick Bosmeman: A Tribute for a King.”

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