Jessie Star Debby Ryan Posts First Video in the Wake of Cameron Boyce’s Death

Many fans were left devastated after the shocking news of Cameron Boyce‘s passing after a medical condition resulted in the young actor’s death at age 20. The Disney Channel star had cultivated a strong fanbase for his roles in the Grown Ups and Descendants movies, as well as his fan-favorite tenure on the series Jessie.

In the wake of his passing, many of his friends and colleagues have spoken out to honor Boyce. Now the lead actress of Jessie has finally responded to the news, as Debby Ryan posted a touching tribute about her co-star on her Instagram story.

Ryan posted a video that features Boyce delivering a heartfelt speech, though she refrained from making a comment and instead let her former co-star’s own words speak for themselves. Here’s what Boyce said in the speech:

“It’s crazy. We can tweet whatever we want and we can use social media and Instagram and make the world a better place instead of a worse one, which so many people use it for. But we need to use our resources and what we have… we’re all in here wearing suits. We need to use what we have to make the world a better place for other people… other people, people who need us!”

As family, friends, and fans continue to mourn the star’s untimely passing, the Disney Channel issued a statement to honor Boyce.

“From a young age, Cameron Boyce dreamed of sharing his extraordinary artistic talents with the world. As a young man, he was fueled by a strong desire to make a difference in peoples’ lives through his humanitarian work,” said a Disney Channel spokesperson in a post on the D23 fan club website. “He was an incredibly talented performer, a remarkably caring and thoughtful person and, above all else, he was a loving and dedicated son, brother, grandson, and friend. We offer our deepest condolences to his family, cast mates and colleagues and join his many millions of fans in grieving his untimely passing. He will be dearly missed.”

Boyce’s tragic passing will continue to resonate with everyone he touched, but his impact will not be let go anytime soon. It will be a bittersweet moment, but fans can enjoy one of his final performances in less than a month when Descendants 3 premieres on Disney Channel on August 2nd.