Chadwick Boseman’s wife Taylor Simone Ledward accepts his posthumous Emmy

Taylor Simone Ledward, Chadwick Boseman’s wife, gave a moving speech and accepted a posthumous Emmy award for her late husband at the 2022 Creative Arts ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 3.

At the event, Boseman was honored with the outstanding character voice-over performance award for his role as Star Lord T’Challa in the animated series “What If…?,” marking his first Emmy nomination and win.

He was nominated alongside F. Murray Abraham (“Moon Knight”), Julie Andrews (“Bridgerton”), Maya Rudolph (“Big Mouth”), Stanley Tucci (“Central Park”), the late actor Jessica Walter (“Archer”) and Jeffrey Wright (“What If…?”).

Ledward gave a speech for her husband, who died from colon cancer at the age of 43 in Aug. 2020.

“When I learned that Chad was nominated for this award, I started thinking about everything that was going on when he was recording — everything that was going on in the world and in our world and just being in such awe of his commitment and his dedication,” she began on stage at the Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

She continued, “And what a beautifully aligned moment it really is that one of the last things he would work on would not only be revisiting a character that was so important to him and his career and to the world, but also that it be an exploration of something new, diving into a new potential future — particularly with everything he spoke about purpose and finding the reason that you are here on the planet on this very time.”

Before ending her speech, Ledward shared some inspiring parting words with the audience.

“You can’t understand your purpose unless you’re willing to ask, ‘What if?’ Unless you’re willing to say, ‘What if the universe is conspiring in my favor, what if it’s me?’” she said.

Ledward concluded, “Thank you so much for the honor — Chad would be so honored, and I’m honored on his behalf.”

Boseman portrayed T’Challa in the Disney+ show — which premiered in August 2021 — and the critically-acclaimed 2018 blockbuster “Black Panther.”

In a 2018 interview with TODAY, Boseman spoke about there being a need for Black superheroes.

“I think there’s a thirst for these images, there’s a thirst for a Black superhero,” he said at the time. “As far as my character goes, there’s a real search for ‘How do I lead?’ I think people are searching for that—leaders that actually care about the people.”

Months before his tragic death, Boseman also starred in “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “21 Bridges” and “Da 5 Bloods.”

His final onscreen role was in the drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for best performance by an actor in a leading role.

He was known for playing historical icons Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and James Brown in biopics like “42,” “Marshall” and “Get on Up” as well.

Boseman’s absence in the upcoming film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be heavily felt. The first trailer for the upcoming sequel teased that the action flick will celebrate his legacy as the brave ruler.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com