Descendants, Jessie star Cameron Boyce dead at 20

Cameron Boyce

Truly shocking and terrible news has emerged this morning — Cameron Boyce, one of the most popular young actors of his generation, has died. He was 20 years old. The Jessie and Descendants star passed away late Saturday as a result of a seizure. A spokesperson for the family said the following via ABC News:

“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.”

Boyce first got his start in television appearing in General Hospital: Night Shift before eventually landing the role of Luke Ross in Jessie, where he appeared in almost 100 episodes. His role as Carlos in Descendants and the follow-up movies may be his most popular mainstream work, as the project showed off a number of his different skills as an entertainer. Boyce also worked with Adam Sandler in both Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2; Sandler was one of the first actors to post a statement on social media about the news:

“Too young. Too sweet. Too funny. Just the nicest, most talented, and [the] most decent kid around. Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken. Thinking of your amazing family and sending our deepest condolences.”

This is the sort of news that is going to take time to reverberate through much of the entertainment community, especially as people here on the West Coast wake up and hear about what transpired. Boyce was a bright light to many people, and it will take some time for those who knew him to process it. This is someone who, as Sandler noted, still had so much to give. The premiere of Descendants 3 is set for next month, and we have to believe that much of it will be dedicated to Cameron’s memory. He was an enormous part of that production and we’re sure that the cast and crew loved working with him and collaborating to make some magic happen.

Cameron also has an upcoming role on the short series Paradise City.

Our thoughts go out to Boyce’s family during what has to be an impossibly difficult time. (Photo: Disney Channel.)

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