Chadwick Boseman Honored With Mural In Downtown Disney District
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) — Late actor Chadwick Boseman has been honored at the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim with a new mural.
The mural, by Houston artist Nikkolas Smith, features Boseman as his character T'Challa from Marvel's "Black Panther" alongside a children's hospital patient wearing the hero's mask.
Both Boseman and the child have their arms crossed in the Wakanda salute.
The mural, titled "King Chad," shares an inscription by Smith that says, "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. 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."
Smith said the mural was a "full-circle moment" for him which combined his final projects as a Disney Imagineer 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," Smith said.
Boseman died last month at the age of 43 following a four-year battle with cancer.