Andra Day is paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman.
The 35-year-old singer and the 43-year-old actor met on the set of the 2017 movie Marshall, which he starred in and she wrote the music for.
“I was only there for two days because I was just singing a song in the movie,” Andra shared with People. “As a fan, it was amazing to watch him on set. He was so kind to me and so inviting, and I was only there for two days. I think, for me, it was more impressive to see that he engaged with everyone in the exact same way. It wasn’t because I was an artist, he dealt [the same way] with everybody.”
Andra went on to say Chadwick was a source of “a lot of light” for people.
“I think his power was an impact on everyone,” Andra shared. “We all got power from him. You didn’t feel embarrassed or, ‘I’m not good enough around him,’ because he created that type of space. He was just a really special person. There’s no way to really describe it.”
Andra said that what she admired most about her “colleague and distant friend” Chadwick was his “authenticity.”
“I loved how authentic he was,” Andra continued. “I loved how much love he put into his work. He sought a life of service. He sought a life of authenticity, of giving. He created safe spaces where other people could be authentic. I wish more of us would do that more often with each other.”
Chadwick passed away on Friday, August 28 after quietly battling colon cancer.
We recently found out which four people were aware of his cancer diagnosis, outside of his family members.