Chadwick Boseman thought 'he would be OK' after cancer diagnosis Chadwick Boseman's widow Simone Ledward Boseman has recalled how the pair were "very confident" that the Black Panther star would pull through after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016. 20 March 2026 Chadwick Boseman and his widow Simone Ledward Boseman thought he "would be OK" after his colon cancer diagnosis.