Chadwick Boseman represented the best of us. Here’s a sampling of tributes to his life and good works.

On Friday, the world unexpectedly learned that distinguished actor Chadwick Boseman had been succumbed to colon cancer after battling the disease for several years. In the wake of the crushing news, many appreciations and remembrances have been authored reflecting on what an incredibly good person Boseman was, in addition to being a talented actor. Here’s a roundup of a few of the best pieces that we have seen honoring one of the finest people who has ever graced the big screen.

  • “Boseman’s contribution to cinema was never about himself and what he could offer. He wanted to see the larger, collective good brought to an art form he loved deeply.” — Clayton Davis (What Chadwick Boseman’s ‘Black Panther’ legacy means)
  • “It’s mind-boggling what Boseman was able to accomplish, facing down an industry’s historical prejudice while suffering through cancer treatments. But it’s equally hard to measure what lay in front of him. In less than a decade, Boseman changed the movies.” — Jake Coyle (Chadwick Boseman Didn’t Just Play Icons. He Was One.)
  • “He was calm. Assured. Constantly studying. But also kind, comforting, had the warmest laugh in the world, and eyes that seen much beyond his years, but could still sparkle like a child seeing something for the first time.” — Black Panther director Ryan Coogler (A Caretaker, A Leader, And A Man Of Faith, Dignity And Pride)
  • “He was in his way a historian — of other people’s magnetism and volition. Excellence and leadership spoke to and sparked him. They had to. No one approximates this much greatness without a considerable reserve of greatness himself.” — Wesley Morris (It’s Hard to Make Dignity Interesting. Chadwick Boseman Found a Way.)

The sketches Boseman recorded as an SNL host are also available to stream on YouTube, as is this Tonight Show bit where Jimmy Fallon and Boseman watch as people speak to what they think is just a poster of Boseman to offer their appreciation for what he brought to Black Panther (and then appear).

Finally, it’s well worth watching this incredible visual tribute to Boseman by Senegalese artist Boubou.

Boseman’s last tweet prior to his death was a celebratory reaction to the selection of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate. Harris and Biden both emphatically lauded Boseman after learning of his death, along with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

In honor of Boseman, ABC will air Marvel’s Black Panther tonight in primetime (commercial-free, even!), followed by an ABC News special looking at the impact that Boseman’s career had.