Josh Gad has paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman by sharing one of the last text messages the actor sent him.
The 39-year-old, who starred alongside Boseman in the 2017 movie Marshall, said he was utterly devastated after hearing of the Black Panther star's passing.
And in a bid to pay his respects to his friend and colleague, and to show what kind of person he was, Gad posted a text message he received from Boseman, 43, earlier this year.
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In it, Boseman urged Gad to "catch the rain" and see the best in every day.
Sharing the post to Twitter, Gad said: "Tonight the Heavens received one of its most powerful angels."
The message read: "If you are in Los Angeles, you woke up this morning to the rare and peaceful sound of a steady precipitation.
"If you're like me, maybe you looked at the week's forecast and found that it's supposed to rain for three straight days; not without breaks of sunlight and reprieves of moist gloom, but yeah it's gonna be coming down like cats and dogs.
"Great. We're stuck inside these damn quarantines because of the COVID, and now we can't even get no sun in Cali. Come on now!
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"But now that the rain has stopped and today's storm has cleared, I urge you to go outside and take a DEEP breath.
"Notice how fresh the air is right now, after our skies have had a 3 week break from the usual relentless barrage of fumes from bumper to bumper LA commuters, and now today's rain has given the City of Angels a long overdo and much-needed shower.
"We should take advantage of every moment we can to enjoy the simplicity of God's creation, whether it be clear skies and sun or clouded over with gloom.
"And hey, if the air is this clear right now, and it does rain tomorrow, I might even put jars and bins out and catch the rain. Throw that in the water filter and I have a water more alkaline than any bottled brand out there."
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In a video posted to his Instagram account, a tearful Gad offered another tribute to Boseman, saying he was "beyond talented".
He said: "There aren't words to express what an amazing human being Chadwick Boseman was," Gad starts, finding it difficult to speak.
"You come upon people in your life who are next-level good. This was a man who was beyond talented and was so unbelievably giving not only as a performer but as a human being.
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"Beyond just being Black Panther, Chadwick was T'Challah in real life, he was somebody who just gave and gave and gave and never stopped giving.
"2020 has been so devastating for so many reasons - this one hurts because it's taking away somebody who was honestly one of the greats. I don't know how to process this, but I want to send my love to his entire family and to all the fans out there, he's gonna be missed."
Concluding the emotionally charged video, Gad said: "Love you guys, stay safe. Chadwick, rest in peace my friend, love you."
Boseman died of cancer, his family confirmed earlier today (29 August).
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In a statement posted to his Twitter, they revealed the actor had been diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016. He'd been battling with the illness for the last four years as it progressed to stage IV.
Featured Image Credit: Open Road Films
