Remembering Cameron Boyce

I'm sure by now you've heard the news about Cameron Boyce.  The news traveled quickly if you follow Disney sites on Facebook or Instagram.  In fact, I woke up this past Sunday to a flood of posts about the news.  I'm always sad to hear news of a celebrity's passing, but sometimes it hits closer to home than others.  This one did.

Photo Source

Over the weekend, Cameron Boyce passed away at only 20 years old.  (I can't even fully wrap my head around that... he's Elissa's age.)  The morning of July 6th, he passed away in his sleep after suffering a seizure which "was the result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated," according to a family spokesperson.

I've watched Cameron in numerous roles throughout his career.  He's most commonly recognized for playing Carlos, the son of Cruella De Vil, in the Disney Channel Descendants movies as well as his role as Luke Ross on Disney Channel's Jessie.  

I was a fan of Cameron's in both those roles.  He's always made me laugh with his characters' antics.  He was incredibly talented and he could act, sing and dance.  It made him perfect for the role of Carlos in Descendants.  Eliot and I loved the first two Descendants movies (They're my favorites of the recent Disney Channel movies.) and we're both really looking forward to the premiere of the third movie in August.  It's going to be hard to watch it knowing it was one of the last things he acted in.

Photo Source

Aside from his acting roles, Cameron was a great humanitarian.  He believed in giving back to the community and he wanted to make the world a better place.  He worked with many organizations in order to give back.  (Read more about that here.)

Another thing Cameron was well known for was how close he was to his family.  In fact, his grandmother was a member of the Clinton 12 and one of the first black students to attend an integrated public school in the south.  I remember seeing her story in a short clip on the Disney Channel.  It always struck me how close him and his family seemed.  I'm so devastated for their loss.

After the news spread, Cameron's co-stars, friends, directors and fans all took to social media to share their memories of him.  They all had nothing but good things to say about him as they spoke about his kindness, light and heart.  (You can read more about what the Descendants cast said here.)

My most fond memory of him is more personal.  I actually met Cameron briefly while at the D23 Expo in 2017.  I haven't really done a recap on that trip, but the short story is that Eliot and I, along with his sisters Sara and Elissa, were all able to take photos with the cast of Descendants 2.  When it was Eliot's and my turn, we walked up to the cast and Cameron came up to me and gave me the biggest, warmest, most genuine hug.  I remember being a little bit startled that he was so willing to give a complete stranger such a warm hug.  And his smile was electric.  The cast was all so warm and kind, but my experience with Cameron stuck out to me.  I'll always cherish that memory.

This past weekend, the world lost a bright light.  Rest in peace Cameron.  °o°