Actor Chadwick Boseman who is best known for playing the iconic Black Panther character has died on Friday night due to colon cancer. He was 43.

"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," his family said in an instagram post.

"From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy," it added.

Boseman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016. He died in his home with his wife and family by his side.

Born and raised in Anderson, South Carolina, Boseman got his first television role in an episode of Third watch in 2003. He played his first starring role in a sports drama 42 in 2003 as the legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson.

Boseman made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016 as T'Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, followed by his own standalone movie in 2018 which got nominated for best picture in the Oscars.

A sequel for Black Panther was in the works with Boseman reprising his role which was due to come out in 2022.

His last tweet came on August 12 congratulating Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on her nomination.