Chadwick Boseman’s widow Simone pays an emotional tribute at the Gotham Awards

Actor Chadwick Boseman poses for a portrait in 2013.

Boseman’s leading role came in 2013, when he played baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the movie “42.”

Boseman embraces Jackie Robinson’s widow, Rachel, after the “42” premiere in Los Angeles.

Boseman greets film director Spike Lee at an NBA game in New York in 2013.

Boseman is interviewed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” shortly after “42” hits theaters.

Boseman laughs with baseball star Matt Kemp after launching his first pitch in a game for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.

Boseman plays iconic singer James Brown in the 2014 biopic “Get on Up”.

In “Marshall” 2017, Boseman played Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American judge at the United States Supreme Court.

Boseman poses with comic book author Stan Lee, who co-created many of the Marvel superheroes that came to life on the big screen.

Boseman starred in several Marvel films such as Black Panther, king of the fictional nation of Wakanda. The character won his own film in 2018.

The role of Black Panther / King T’Challa was “the honor of (Boseman’s) career,” said a statement from his publicist, Nicki Fioravante.

Boseman attends the European premiere of “Black Panther” in London.

While competing in the 2018 NBA Dunk Contest, Victor Oladipo wears a Black Panther mask and salutes “Wakanda Forever” with Boseman, who was sitting next to the court.

Boseman surprises a fan on “The Tonight Show” in 2018.

Boseman, as Black Panther, salutes “Wakanda Forever” in “Avengers: Infinity War”.

Boseman walks through the crowd after receiving an award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards in 2018.

Boseman joined the stage at the Golden Globe with three of his “Black Panther” co-stars: from the left, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan.

From the left, Jordan, Boseman and Angela Bassett attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2019. The cast of “Black Panther” won the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a film.

Boseman poses with Lady Gaga backstage after she just won an Oscar in 2019.

Boseman and his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, attended the NBA All-Star Game in February 2020.

Boseman, in the center, plays a Vietnam War soldier in “Da 5 Bloods”, a Spike Lee film released in June 2020.