Barack and Michelle Obama Honor Chadwick Boseman, Who 'Knew That Real Strength Starts Inside'

Barack and Michelle Obama honored late actor Chadwick Boseman in separate social media posts on Saturday. The 43-year-old Black Panther actor's family confirmed on Friday that he died of colon cancer.

"I'll always remember watching Chadwick in 42," the former first lady wrote. "Barack and I were alone in the White House, on a weekend night with the girls away. I was so profoundly moved by the rawness and emotion in the barrier-breaking story. And not long after, when he came to meet with young people in the State Dining Room, I saw that Chadwick's brilliance on screen was matched by a warmth and sincerity in person. There's a reason he could play Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and King T'Challa with such captivating depth and honesty. He, too, knew what it meant to truly persevere. He, too, knew that real strength starts inside. And he, too, belongs right there with them as a hero—for Black kids and for all of our kids. There's no better gift with which to grace our world. ❤️"

"Chadwick came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson," the former president wrote in his post. "You could tell right away that he was blessed. To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain—what a use of his years."

In 2016, Boseman shared this photo of him and Barack Obama during his White House visit surrounding the release of his 2013 Jackie Robinson biopic, 42. "Thanks for your service and for your advice. #theprinceandthepresident #inthehousethatslavesbuilt #tbt #DemsinPhilly," he wrote.

The last social media post Boseman shared his endorsement of Kamala Harris as vice president.