The Hollywood icon Denzel Washington just spoke out to pay tribute to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman over two decades after he paid for the actor’s study abroad tuition at the British American Drama Academy.

“He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career,” Washington, 65, said in a statement after Boseman tragically died of colon cancer on Friday. “God bless Chadwick Boseman.”

Boseman was only 43 years-old when he passed away. He had kept his four year-battle with colon cancer private, which made his death all the more shocking to his fans.

When Boseman was an undergraduate at Howard University, he was one of nine students who were accepted into the BADA’s prestigious Oxford Mid-Summer Program. Actress Phylicia Rashad, who was a teacher at the Howard at the time, reached out to Washington asking if he would be willing to help cover the tuition fees.

In June of 2019, Boseman publicly thanked Washington for his generosity while at the American Film Institute Awards. There, Washington was given the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award.

“Many of you already know the story that Mr. Washington, when asked by Phylicia Rashad to join her in assisting nine theater students from Howard University who had been accepted to a summer acting program at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford. He gracefully and privately agreed to contribute,” Boseman said. “As fate would have it, I was one of the students that he paid for.”

“Imagine receiving the letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet,” he continued. “I have no doubt there are similar stories at Boys and Girls Clubs and theaters and churches across the country where I know you have also inspired and motivated others.”

“An offering from a sage and a king is more than silver and gold. It is a seed of hope, a bud of faith,” Boseman added. “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.”