Chadwick Boseman Married Wife Taylor Simone Ledward Months Before He Died

"Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman kept his battle with colon cancer a secret, but by his side was the woman he married months before he died, Taylor Simone Ledward. "He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side," said a tweet announcing his tragic death.

Their romance first went public in 2019, when he kissed her at the NAACP Image Awards. Ledward, 29, is a singer and graduate of California State Polytechnic University. Their red carpet debut took place the same year at the SAG Awards, and the couple was last photographed together at the NBA All Star game in February.

But the fact that they had married was kept a secret. By April, Boseman's physical decline was apparent in a social media post in which he looked gaunt. He and Ledward reportedly married in a private ceremony.

Boseman's "Black Panther" co-star Michael B. Jordan broke his silence over the death of his friend.

"I’m dedicating the rest of my days to live the way you did. With grace, courage, and no regrets.  Rest In Power Brother," Jordan said.

Spike Lee directed Boseman in the newly released Netflix film "Da 5 Bloods."

"We filmed Da 5 Bloods in Thailand, and it was hot, jungles, mountains, and Chadwick was there with us all the way. I never, ever suspected that anything was wrong. No one knew he was going through treatment, chemotherapy," Lee said.

The American Cancer Society said they've seen an 8,000% increase in traffic to its colorectal cancer symptoms page since Boseman's passing.

"We've actually seen a 450 to 500% increase in donations since Mr. Boseman passed away," Cindy Borassi, president of the Colon Cancer Foundation, told Inside Edition.

A public memorial service will be held for Boseman on Thursday in the actor's hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. 

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