Josh Gad Shares Beautiful Text Message Chadwick Boseman Sent Him
Hollywood and the world lost a giant on Friday, August 28, 2020 when Chadwick Boseman passed after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Immediately after his death was confirmed, outpourings of emotion and support for the Boseman family came from every sector of the industry. The collective grieving for Boseman included fans, directors, friends, studio executives, and his many acting colleagues — including the legion of performers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If there was any doubt that the 43-year-old Black Panther star was a rare soul, actor Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast, Artemis Fowl) shared a beautiful text message he received from Boseman.
"Breaking my twitter silence to share some beauty. This was one of my final texts from the brilliant & once-in-lifetime talent, @chadwickboseman – take this in & celebrate life," Gad tweeted. "He knew how precious every moment was. Tonight the Heavens received one of its most powerful angels."
The heartfelt tweet was accompanied by an image of Gad's phone screen displaying a long, poetic text from Boseman. Gad and Boseman worked together on the 2017 film Marshall, in which Boseman brought to life Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black jurist elevated to the highest court in the land. Gad received second billing to Boseman in the role of Sam Friedman.
Chadwick Boseman was beloved by all who knew him
The text itself is entitled "CATCH THE RAIN" in all caps, and is organized into what look like poetic stanzas.
"If you are in Los Angeles, you woke up this morning to the rare and peaceful sound of a steady precipitation," Boseman wrote. "If you're like me, maybe you looked at the week's forecast and found that it's supposed to rain for three straight days; not without breaks of sunlight and reprieves of moist gloom, but yeah it's gonna be coming down like cats and dogs. Great. We're stuck inside these damn quarantines because of the Covid, and now we can't even get no sun in Cali. Come on now!"
Even the actor's frustration with quarantine feels cut by a deeper appreciation for the quiet moments in the city after a rare rainfall. He went on, "But now that the rain has stopped and today's storm has cleared, I urge you to go outside and take a DEEP breath. Notice how fresh the air is right now, after our skies have had a 3 week break from the usual relentless barrage of fumes from bumper to bumper LA commuters, and now today's rain has given the City of Angels a long overdo and much-needed shower."
He continued, "Inhale and exhale this moment, and thank God for the unique beauties and wonders of this day. We should take advantage of every moment we can to enjoy the simplicity of God's creation whether it be clear skies and sun or clouded over with gloom. And hey, if the air is this clear right now, and it does rain tomorrow, I might even put jars and bins out and catch the rain. Throw that in the water filter and I have a water more alkaline than any bottled brand out there."
No one can argue that Boseman didn't have a way with words.
Gad's choice to share this private message between himself and a deceased friend feels like a fitting eulogy. Of all the tributes to Boseman flooding the web in the wake of this horrific loss, Gad's perhaps feels like one of the most personal — as if he's revealed a small piece of the late actor's soul. Thanks for letting us all in, Josh.
Our thoughts are with Boseman's loved ones during this time of immense grief.