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Chadwick Boseman final tweet most-liked ever on Twitter with 7.7M loves, platform lauds 'tribute fit for a king'

The post earned more than 2 million retweets and 7.7 million likes in its first 24 hours

August 29 was a dark day for millions of Marvel fans as they bid goodbye to 'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman. The actor, who had been battling colon cancer for over four years, died at the age of 43. His family announced his death on the star's Twitter account, which was later retweeted by the official Twitter account. Twitter later declared that it was the 'most liked' tweet in the history of the platform, and was a 'tribute fit for a king'.

The post earned more than 2 million retweets and 7.7 million likes in its first 24 hours, after being posted at 7 pm, on Friday, August 28. Most of the tweets came from Hollywood stars, and Boseman's co-stars, who shared their favorite memories of him. Organizations like NCAAP and The Academy also retweeted it.

The actor's loved ones from his official Instagram page wrote: "It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman.⁣ Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV. ⁣ A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. 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 had never spoken publicly about his battle with cancer. A statement from his family, as quoted by Seattle Times, read: “It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in 'Black Panther'.”

'Hulk' actor Mark Ruffalo paid tribute to Boseman, saying, "All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of #ChadwickBoseman. What a man, and what an immense talent. Brother, you were one of the all time greats and your greatness was only beginning. Lord love ya. Rest in power, King."

'Captain America' actor Chris Evans wrote that he was deeply devastated and Boseman was a 'true original'. His post read, "I’m absolutely devastated. This is beyond heartbreaking. Chadwick was special. A true original. He was a deeply committed and constantly curious artist. Few performers have such power and versatility. He had so much amazing work still left to create. I’m endlessly grateful for our friendship. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Rest in power, King."

Chris Hemsworth wrote that Boseman was one of the 'kindest' and most genuine people he knew and shared a throwback photo. "Gonna miss you mate. Absolutely heartbreaking. One of the kindest most genuine people I’ve met. Sending love and support to all the family xo RIP."

Boseman had won hearts with his performance as King T'Challa in the 2018 Marvel film 'Black Panther', which was considered revolutionary as it dealt with the rise of the first Black superhero in the fictional kingdom of Wakanda.