Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden remembered Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce with a touching post on Twitter, sharing a photo of the two shaking hands. The former Jessie star died due to an “ongoing medical condition, which he was being treated for. Biden called Boyce a “tremendous role model.”
“I had the opportunity to meet Cameron Boyce at this year’s Courage Awards and through his work with [It’s On Us]. He was filled with so much light and served as a tremendous role model for young people. He’s gone far too soon,” Biden wrote. “[Dr. Jill Biden] and I are sending our prayers to his family.”
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Back in March, Boyce was one of the speakers at the 2019 Biden Courage Awards. The ceremony is hosted by the Biden Foundation and It’s On Us, an organization aiming to end sexual assault, specifically on college campuses.
“Cameron Boyce was a friend to It’s On Us and a strong supporter of the movement to stop campus violence. We are heartbroken to hear he is no longer with us. Sending our love to his family,” the organization tweeted Sunday.
“I am heartbroken that the [It’s On Us] family has lost one of our own. Sending love and support to Cameron’s family and friends,” It’s On Us executive director Tracey E. Vitchers added.
It’s On Us was only one of the organizations Boyce supported. He was also honored with a Pioneering Spirit Award in April at the Thirst Gala for raising over $30,000 for the Thirst Project to help raise awareness of the global water crisis, notes PEOPLE.
Rest In Peace, Cameron Boyce 💔 pic.twitter.com/r1uGZ82Uos
— Thirst Project (@thirstproject) July 7, 2019
In Boyce’s last interview, the actor discussed the importance of giving back as a celebrity and being a positive influence.
“There’s a long line of difference makers in my family,” Boyce told Haute Living in May. “I’m following in the footsteps of some really strong men and women who have showed me what it means to give back; It’s the greatest way to fulfill yourself. Every time I talk to someone who shares that similar passion, we talk about how there aren’t many feelings more euphoric. Changing someone else’s life positively changes yours for the better as well.”
Boyce said he wanted to be the “bridge” for people who want to give but do not know where to.
“I try to be the bridge for those people – whether that means getting them involved in one of my campaigns or inspiring them by showing them a blueprint of how to get others engaged,” he said.
Boyce is best known for his role as Luke Ross on the 2011-2015 Disney Channel sitcom Jessie, co-starring Debby Ryan and Peyton List. He also starred in Disney XD’s Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the Disney Channel’s Descendants franchise.
“It is with a profoundly heavy heart that we report that this morning we lost Cameron,” Boyce’s family said in a statement Sunday morning. “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.
Photo credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for It’s On Us
