Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Actor Chadwick Boseman, who rose to screen prominence as the star of Black Panther, has died.
The 43-year-old actor, who before he donned the vibranium suit of Black Panther, earned raves for playing James Brown in Get On Up, Jackie Robinson in 42, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in the biopic Marshall, had colon cancer, according to a post to his official Twitter account. His publicist confirmed his passing.
“It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” the statement read. “Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage IV.”
Boseman had not revealed his fight publicly.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” the statement continued. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy.”
Boseman died in his home with his wife and family, according to the statement.
Boseman’s first starring role in film came as Cleveland Browns running back Ernie Davis in The Express: The Ernie Davis Story in 2008.
In the spring, Boseman posted a video to social media to his Instagram to promote COVID-19 relief via the non-profit organization Operation 42. His gaunt appearance shocked fans, some of whom hoped his dramatic weight loss was merely preparation for a role.
Justin Edmonds/Getty ImagesBy HALEY YAMADA and ALLIE YANG, ABC News
(KENOSHA, Wisc.) — Melvin Gordon, a running back for the Denver Broncos, spoke to ABC News about the nationwide protests for racial justice that sparked after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Gordon’s hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin.
On Sunday, after an alleged domestic dispute, Jacob Blake was seen in video being shot seven times in the back by a police officer while entering his car. Blake is now reportedly paralyzed and currently under heavy medication at a Wisconsin hospital. Outrage in Kenosha and elsewhere through the U.S. followed.
Gordon played football in Wisconsin for most of his life, including at the state’s flagship university. When he saw the news about Jacob Blake, he said he was deeply affected.
“I mean, it was just heartbreaking. I just instantly got sad, it just got sad. … After everything we’ve been through, everything we’re trying to accomplish as a whole, and to still see actions like this, especially back at my home, it’s just heartbreaking,” Gordon told ABC News.
In response to the incident, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott their NBA playoff game Wednesday night, leading to a postponement of all league games that night. Their decision had a ripple effect on the sports world — other teams in the WNBA, MLS and MLB teams joined in the work stoppage, taking a stand against police brutality and social injustice.
“We have voices — players, athletes. We have a platform and it’s on us to use that. … We need guys like that to use that,” Gordon said about the NBA boycott. “We need guys like that to kind of step out of that comfort zone and help to make change.”
Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon, left, greets safety Justin Simmons as they take part in drills during an NFL football practice, Aug. 28, 2020, in Englewood, Colo. The decision to resume the NBA playoffs on Friday came Thursday after the league agreed to work with players on social reforms. This includes turning all team-owned NBA areas into safe, in-person voting centers on Election Day.
Several NFL teams announced they were canceling practices to meet and discuss issues of racial justice, including the Denver Broncos. Although Gordon said he’s not planning on sitting out the NFL season, he did say it’s a conversation that needs to be had, especially because he understands the fear that Black men have of police right now.
“If you’re of color, I know you’re afraid … the wrong move, the slightest move, could be the last move you make, could be the last time you see your family — anything!” Gordon said. “The fear I know is there, and I know that if you’re of color, no matter what, you have any encounter with a cop, it’s definitely going to come to your head like, ‘OK, I have to be very aware and cautious of anything and everything I do at this particular moment because it might be my last.'”
The NFL and NFL Players Association released a joint statement reacting to Blake’s shooting, supporting teams that have decided to cancel workouts.
“The NFL community is united more than ever to support one another in these challenging times. We share anger and frustration, most recently as a result of the shooting of Jacob Blake,” the statement said. “While our passions continue to run high, we are proud that our players and clubs, League and Union, are taking time to have the difficult conversations about these issues that affect the Black community and other communities of color in America.”
Gordon told ABC News he’s been receiving thoughtful support from teammates and coaches who stand with him in his fight for racial justice.
“It’s just guys having my back … you know, getting text messages like [from] coaches, players, even [Commissioner] Roger Goodell reached out to me, and that meant a lot,” said Gordon.
On the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s “I Have a Dream” speech, thousands of Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., demanding racial justice.
“Martin Luther King’s fighting this battle years ago,” Gordon said, “and here we are today still fighting this battle.”
ABC News’ Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this report.
(STANLY COUNTY, N.C.) — A North Carolina man hugged his family as a free man for the first time in decades this week after serving 44 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Ronnie Long was greeted by family and community members who had long proclaimed his innocence on Thursday afternoon when he made his long-awaited exit from the Albemarle Correctional Institution in Stanly County, North Carolina.
He had spent 44 years arguing for an appeal, along with a team of advocates and pro bono attorneys, in an effort to overturn his 1976 conviction. The team logged a victory earlier this week when the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Long’s constitutional rights had been violated during his trial.
Long was 20 years old when an all-white jury sentenced him to 80 years in prison for raping a notable white woman in his hometown of Concord, North Carolina. He was convicted despite a lack of physical evidence tying him to the rape. In 2005, his attorneys discovered evidence that was withheld during the trial and could have proved his innocence, according to a website dedicated to freeing Long.
“At the beginning of this ordeal, if anyone would have told me that I would be locked up for forty-three (43) years, I would have thought them to be totally insane. There isn’t no way I can put up with this monotony for 43 years,” Long wrote in a journal entry posted on the website. “Throughout history Black men has been a marked product for racial discrimination … so why not me.”
In a separate part of the entry, Long indicated that he was simply convicted because of his race, saying the cards were always “stacked against” him.
“After really contemplating on the subject, the evidence may not have made a different because the deck was stacked against me, and it wouldn’t have mattered what type of evidence I had against the state,” he said. “I were going to prison. I had been chosen and I were going to prison. Some 40-plus years later, I’m still around, still here fighting, and if it be the will of the Creator, I shall overcome.”
Long, just days from his 65th birthday, said he got through the ordeal due to God and family.
“That was my inspiration,” Long told Charlotte ABC affiliate WSOC, gesturing to his family. “I got my inspiration from them, and God. It felt good because I was getting feedback that I was loved and supported.”
“They will never, ever, ever, ever lock me up again,” Long added.
A GoFundMe campaign set up by his wife, Ashleigh Long, had raised about $12,000 as of Friday afternoon. Ashleigh Long, who married him in 2014, said she set up the $500,000 fundraiser to help with her husband’s transition to life outside of prison.
“Ronnie is going to need everything when he is freed. ANY amount helps. Everything donated will go to Ronnie to use when he is free,” the campaign said. “Come on #TeamRonnieLong let’s get Ronnie set up to enjoy his life as a free man!”
Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — In an interview segment ahead of the debut of her new daytime talk show, Drew Barrymore apologized to Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen for a 2018 appearance during which she had too much to drink.
Barrymore was clearly slurring during the sit-down with Cohen and her former Santa Clarita Diet co-star Timothy Olyphant, and clearly Drew hasn’t gotten over it. “I drank too much and I have never forgiven myself, nor will I ever forgive myself,” the 45-year-old actress tells Cohen.
“I’m an imperfect person, and I tout that, and I’ve had that liberty since I was a kid because it was all out there. And it was either ‘boo hoo’ about it or say, ‘God, it’s sort of redeeming to not have to pretend to be perfect,'” she tells the Bravo exec-turned-chat show host.
Barrymore added, “But I really want to apologize to you because I really — I just, I will never let that happen again. I’m so sorry.”
For his part, Cohen was gracious, and mentioned she’s not the first star to have taken full advantage of WWHL‘s infamously open bar.
“I’m used to people being overserved on my show, and so I don’t even really have a totally clear memory of it, but you don’t need to apologize to me for being overserved on my show, that happens,” Cohen said. “You’re in a great club of people.”
The former child star’s syndicated The Drew Barrymore Show premieres September 14.
David BergmanThe Country Music Association is ready to unveil its list of 2020 nominees, and it’s enlisting Luke Combs and Carly Pearce to help share the exciting news. The two rising acts will reveal this year’s nominees on ABC’s Good Morning America next Tuesday, September 1.
Both Luke and Carly know a little something about being honored on country’s biggest night: Luke has picked up three trophies at the awards show over the past couple of years, and Carly scored her first CMA nod in 2019.
They’ll read a portion of the nominees list in the 8:30-9AM half hour, while standing on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Following the broadcast, Gabby Barrett and Ingrid Andress will reveal more categories of nominees during a livestream on the CMA’s social channels.
Country music is entering a complicated season, as many events and shows have been pushed to the end of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some big country announcements that would normally be spaced throughout the year are happening in rapid succession.
The ACM Awards show, for example, typically takes place in April, but due to the pandemic it was adapted into a virtual event broadcasting from Nashville this fall. Now, it’s taking place on September 16, just a couple of weeks after the CMA announces this year’s nominees.
Very few details about this year’s CMA Awards show have been announced thus far. We don’t yet know who’s hosting, although Carrie Underwood, who’s been the show’s host for the past 12 years, announced early in 2020 that she’s stepping down this year.
The 54th annual CMA Awards are scheduled to take place in Nashville on November 11.
Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Actor Chadwick Boseman, who rose to screen prominence as the star of Black Panther, has died.
