Disney has honored Black Panther’s star Chadwick Boseman with a powerful mural four weeks after the Hollywood actor’s tragic death.
The touching mural, in which a child wearing a hospital gown and a Black Panther mask is seen facing Boseman with crossed arms, is located in the Downtown Disney District at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort in California.
In the tribute brought to life by artist Nikkolas Smith, both the child and Boseman are seen performing the Wakanda salute.
“As a former Disney Imagineer, I had the honor of working on a major children’s hospital initiative and Avengers Campus as my final two assignments,” Mr. Smith explained in the artwork’s inscription.
“Seeing Chadwick’s heart for people in-person, and later discovering his courageous battle with cancer, I was inspired to create this tribute to honor his life and legacy.
“To us, he was and will always be T’Challa. Long Live The King.”
Proudly sharing photos of his creation on Instagram, Smith wrote:
“This one is special. My King Chad tribute is now on a wall on display at Downtown Disney. It is a full circle moment for me: my final two projects as a Disney Imagineer last summer were working on the Children’s Hospital project and the Avengers Campus.
“To millions of kids, T’Challa was a legend larger than life, and there was no one more worthy to fill those shoes than Chadwick Boseman. I’m so thankful to be able to honor Chadwick’s life and purpose in this way.”
The heartwarming mural takes place at Downtown Disney four weeks after Boseman’s death. The Hollywood actor passed away on August 28 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
Replaced!