Chadwick Boseman tribute will air Sunday night on ABC after 'Black Panther'

Expect words of remembrance from celebrities, politicians, and fans as well as a deeper look at colon cancer.
 By 
Adam Rosenberg
 on 
Chadwick Boseman tribute will air Sunday night on ABC after 'Black Panther'
Marvel Studios' BLACK PANTHER Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) Ph: Film Frame Marvel Studios 2018 Credit: Film Frame Marvel Studios 2018

Mourning together isn't easy in these socially distant times, but Chadwick Boseman fans will have a chance to do that on Sunday night.

Marvel's Black Panther is set to air commercial-free on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 30. Then, immediately after the movie, ABC News will deliver a 40-minute special tribute, titled Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King.

Boseman died on Friday at the age of 42 after a four-year struggle with colon cancer. The news of his death came as a shock to fans, as the Black Panther star had opted to keep his diagnosis and subsequent treatments a secret.


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The Sunday evening special will, according to ABC, "celebrate Boseman’s storied life, legacy and career, and the cultural imprint he made on- and off-screen." The network doesn't name any participants, but the announcement promises to feature tributes from "celebrities, political figures, and fans across the world," as well as "special words" from friends and co-stars.

Perhaps just as importantly, ABC notes that the special will "shine a light on the medical condition [Boseman] privately battled." According to cancer.org, colon cancer is the third leading cause of deaths among women and men. And while the overall numbers have been dropping for "decades," more than 53,000 deaths resulting from the illness are expected in 2020.

There are also racial disparities in colon cancer's impact. The National Institute of Health's Cancer Institute notes that colon cancer diagnoses are "higher in African Americans than in whites." At least some of that disparity stems from systemic racial imbalances in the U.S. that, among other things, work to limit access to screenings and care for non-white communities.

Tune in to ABC on Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET for the commercial-free showing of Black Panther, to be followed by the tribute special, which starts at 10:20 p.m. ET.

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.

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