Chadwick Boseman’s Widow Shares Why She Brought His ‘Beautiful’ Shoes to His Walk of Fame Ceremony

Simone Ledward-Boseman tells PEOPLE that Chadwick Boseman leaves behind “a legacy of intention and power and purpose” more than 5 years after his death

Chadwick Boseman‘s widow Simone Ledward-Boseman is sharing why she brought one of the late star’s pairs of shoes to his posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.

“I just thought they were beautiful shoes. He wore them often,” Ledward-Boseman tells PEOPLE on Thursday, Nov. 20, after she, Ryan Coogler and Viola Davis shared emotional tributes to the late star, who died at age 43 in 2020.

Ledward-Boseman, who was romantically attached to the Black Panther actor from 2015 onward and married him before his death, accepted the Walk of Fame honor on her late husband’s behalf. She brought a pair of black shoes to the ceremony and placed them directly next to Boseman’s star once it was unveiled.

“If you look at the bottom of the soles, you can see just how worn they are,” Ledward-Boseman says. “I just thought that they were a beautiful pair of shoes. They reminded me of a lot of things that he wore, a lot of different looks that he had, and I felt that they would be the best ones to bring today.”

@people #ChadwickBoseman received a posthumous star on the Hollywood #WalkofFame on Thursday, Nov. 20. The #BlackPanther star’s wife #SimoneLedwardBoseman ♬ Live in the Spirit – Josué Novais Piano Worship & Instrumental Worship and Prayer

Ledward-Boseman, Coogler, 39, and Davis, 60, were joined at the Nov. 20 ceremony in Los Angeles by Boseman’s brothers Kevin Boseman and Derrick Boseman, his Black Panther costars Michael B. Jordan and Letitia Wright and Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, among others.

During their speeches at the ceremony, Davis and Coogler each shared reflections on lessons they learned from working with and befriending Boseman while making movies like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Black Panther, respectively. Ledward-Boseman shared what she described as her late husband’s “instructions for creative work,” and she told PEOPLE that Boseman taught her to protect her “energy” in her day-to-day-life.

“You can center yourself and take the pressure off of being constantly available. He was fortunate enough to have a really wonderful team that protected his energy, but he had to do a lot of that himself as well,” she says. “I am reminded of that constantly.”

Boseman is best known for starring as the Marvel superhero Black Panther in the character’s 2018 solo movie and various Avengers films. He also built a career portraying iconic 20th century Black American figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall in various biopics. When asked if Boseman thought about his own legacy before he died from cancer, Ledward-Boseman tells PEOPLE, “I honestly don’t think he did.”

“I think that he thought about the work and what the thing he was working on at that moment was going to mean for the people who would come into contact with it,” she says. “I don’t think that he thought about what he was leaving behind from the perspective of himself. I think he really focused on the work, and I think that he does leave behind a legacy of intention and power and purpose.”

Boseman’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is the 2,828th star placed on the street.

Simone Ledward-Boseman tells PEOPLE that Chadwick Boseman leaves behind “a legacy of intention and power and purpose” more than 5 years after his death

Chadwick Boseman‘s widow Simone Ledward-Boseman is sharing why she brought one of the late star’s pairs of shoes to his posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.

“I just thought they were beautiful shoes. He wore them often,” Ledward-Boseman tells PEOPLE on Thursday, Nov. 20, after she, Ryan Coogler and Viola Davis shared emotional tributes to the late star, who died at age 43 in 2020.

Ledward-Boseman, who was romantically attached to the Black Panther actor from 2015 onward and married him before his death, accepted the Walk of Fame honor on her late husband’s behalf. She brought a pair of black shoes to the ceremony and placed them directly next to Boseman’s star once it was unveiled.

“If you look at the bottom of the soles, you can see just how worn they are,” Ledward-Boseman says. “I just thought that they were a beautiful pair of shoes. They reminded me of a lot of things that he wore, a lot of different looks that he had, and I felt that they would be the best ones to bring today.”

@people #ChadwickBoseman received a posthumous star on the Hollywood #WalkofFame on Thursday, Nov. 20. The #BlackPanther star’s wife #SimoneLedwardBoseman ♬ Live in the Spirit – Josué Novais Piano Worship & Instrumental Worship and Prayer

Ledward-Boseman, Coogler, 39, and Davis, 60, were joined at the Nov. 20 ceremony in Los Angeles by Boseman’s brothers Kevin Boseman and Derrick Boseman, his Black Panther costars Michael B. Jordan and Letitia Wright and Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, among others.

During their speeches at the ceremony, Davis and Coogler each shared reflections on lessons they learned from working with and befriending Boseman while making movies like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Black Panther, respectively. Ledward-Boseman shared what she described as her late husband’s “instructions for creative work,” and she told PEOPLE that Boseman taught her to protect her “energy” in her day-to-day-life.

“You can center yourself and take the pressure off of being constantly available. He was fortunate enough to have a really wonderful team that protected his energy, but he had to do a lot of that himself as well,” she says. “I am reminded of that constantly.”

Boseman is best known for starring as the Marvel superhero Black Panther in the character’s 2018 solo movie and various Avengers films. He also built a career portraying iconic 20th century Black American figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall in various biopics. When asked if Boseman thought about his own legacy before he died from cancer, Ledward-Boseman tells PEOPLE, “I honestly don’t think he did.”

“I think that he thought about the work and what the thing he was working on at that moment was going to mean for the people who would come into contact with it,” she says. “I don’t think that he thought about what he was leaving behind from the perspective of himself. I think he really focused on the work, and I think that he does leave behind a legacy of intention and power and purpose.”

Boseman’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is the 2,828th star placed on the street.