As ‘Black Panther’ actor Chadwick Boseman breathed his last, tributes poured in from across the world for the gifted actor who died after battling with colon cancer for the last four years.

Hollywood actor Denzel Washington too paid his tribute to Boseman, whom he knew since the time he was an undergrad student at Howard University.

“He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman,” Washington said in a statement post-Boseman’s demise.

The two actor’s association goes back a long time. Washington had extended financial support tp Boseman and 8 other students of Howard University to attend a special summer course in acting at Oxford University. Actress Phylicia Rashad, who was a teacher at the Howard at the time, reached out to Washington for assistance in covering tuition fees.

In June 2019, while Washington received the 47th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, Boseman had publicly thanked the legend for his generosity.

“Many of you already know the story that Mr Washington, when asked by Phylicia Rashad to join her in assisting nine theater students from Howard University who had been accepted to summer acting program at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford. He gracefully and privately agreed to contribute,” Boseman said. “As fate would have it, I was one of the students that he paid for.”

“Imagine receiving the letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the plane. I have no doubt there are similar stories at Boys and Girls Clubs and theaters and churches across the country where I know you have also inspired and motivated others.”

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“An offering from a sage and a king is more than silver and gold. It is a seed of hope, a bud of faith,” Boseman added. “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.”

The two actors worked in Boseman’s last film ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,’ where Washington served as the producer. The film is set to release in 2020.

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