On Saturday, news broke that 20-year-old Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce had died in his sleep. A spokesperson for Boyce’s family said “He passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated. The world is now undoubtedly without one of its brightest lights, but his spirit will live on through the kindness and compassion of all who knew and loved him.”
Following reports yesterday that Boyce’s autopsy failed to find a cause of death, the family released and an additional statement clarifying what that ongoing medical condition was. Their spokesperson tells ABC News that “Cameron’s tragic passing was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was Epilepsy. We are still trying to navigate our way through this extremely heart wrenching time, and continue to ask for privacy so that the family, and all who knew and loved him can grieve his loss and make arrangements for his funeral–which in and of itself, is agonizing.”
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Boyce was best known for his role in the Disney Channel series Jessie, a show about a young girl (Debby Ryan) working as a nanny for a wealthy family in New York City. Boyce played Luke Ross, one of the children in Jessie’s care.
In addition to his role on Jessie, Boyce also played the son of Cruella de Vil in Disney Channel’s Descendants and starred in Disney XD‘s Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything. His career outside of Disney television included roles opposite Kiefer Sutherland in Mirrors, Shia LaBeouf in Eagle Eye, and Adam Sandler in Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2. He also appeared on CBS’ Code Black.
In 2017, Boyce received a Daytime Emmy Award with Disney XD for “Outstanding Promotional Announcement” for his participation in the series “Timeless Heroes — Be Inspired,” which celebrated Black History Month. He appeared in the series alongside his grandmother Jo Ann Boyce, one of the Clinton 12, the 12 black teens who were first to integrate into public schools in Clinton, Tennessee.
Boyce was also an active humanitarian. He was involved with the Thirst Project, a non-profit organization spreading awareness of the global water crisis. He launched a campaign on his birthday that raised more than $27,000 to build two wells in Swaziland. In 2018, Boyce was awarded the Pioneering Spirit Award, the organization’s highest honor, at Thirst Project’s ninth annual gala.
