The news of the death of actor Chadwick Boseman shocked and saddened the world.
The Black Panther star, who was 43, was fighting a four-year battle with colon cancer in private, undergoing numerous surgeries and chemotherapy treatments at the same time as making several movies.
His death was announced on Saturday, August 29, via a family statement posted on his social media accounts, alongside a black-and-white portrait of the star.
"It was the honour of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther," the statement said. "He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side."
Twitter has now confirmed that post is the most liked tweet in history.
Most liked Tweet ever.
— Twitter (@Twitter) August 29, 2020
A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever https://t.co/lpyzmnIVoP
Just 24 hours after it was posted, on the morning on Sunday, August 30, the tweet had received more than 6.2 million likes and had been retweeted more than three million times.
"Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever," the official account for Twitter said.
The next closest tweet was sent by Barack Obama in 2017 and featured an image of children and the words of Nelson Mandela. The tweet received more than 4.3 million likes.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion..." pic.twitter.com/InZ58zkoAm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
Social media has been flooded with tributes to Boseman since news of his death, including several poignant statements from his many Marvel co-stars.
"All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of Chadwick Boseman," the actor's Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo wrote on Twitter. "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."
Boseman became the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the record-breaking Marvel franchise with 2018's Black Panther.
The movie, set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences, becoming the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing more than $1 billion (Dh3.67bn) worldwide.
