Disney to Honor Cameron Boyce Following Canceled 'Descendants 3' Red Carpet Event

Disney canceled the July 22 red carpet premiere of Descendants 3 and will instead make a large [...]

Disney canceled the July 22 red carpet premiere of Descendants 3 and will instead make a large donation to a charity Cameron Boyce was a longtime supporter of. Boyce died late Saturday at age 20, after suffering a seizure in his sleep related to an ongoing medical condition. His family later revealed that Boyce suffered from epilepsy.

On Thursday, Disney told TMZ they canceled a red carpet event for Descendants 3. Instead, the studio will donate to the Thirst Project, which helps raise awareness of the clean water crisis around the world and helps deliver clean water to countries in need. Boyce helped raise over $30,000 for the nonprofit during his life.

"We are proud to be part of Cameron Boyce's legacy by showcasing his talents on screen but we are cancelling the red carpet premiere event for Descendants 3 scheduled for July 22 and instead, The Walt Disney Company will make a donation to the Thirst Project, a philanthropic organization to which Cameron was deeply committed," the company said in a statement to TMZ. "Thank you for understanding."

Disney still plans to air the already-completed Descendants 3 on the Disney Channel Aug. 2. The network will add a dedication in Boyce's memory to the broadcast.

Boyce starred in all three Descendants films as Carlos, Cruella de Vil's son. He also voiced the character in the animated TV shorts Descendants: Wicked World.

The actor gained fame in 2011 as Luke Ross on the Disney Channel's Jessie, which ran through 2015. He also voiced Jake in the animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates and played Conor in Disney XD's Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything. Earlier this year, he branched out beyond Disney to star in the first season of HBO's Mrs. Fletcher starring Kathryn Hahn.

On Sunday morning, Boyce's family announced the actor "passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated."

Following speculation by media outlets of what the condition was, his family issued another statement on Tuesday.

"Cameron's tragic passing was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was Epilepsy," a spokesperson for the family told the media. "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."

After Boyce's death was announced the Thirst Project issued its own statement, noting they are "at loss for words and a bit shaken up."

"Cameron was such and amazing light to many and also did so much for Thirst Project," the organization's statement read. "He was always looking to help others and in his #ThirstGala speech, he explained it perfectly. With his time here, he certainly left something bigger than himself and we are so honored to have been a part of his life and to have been able to change the world together. As we remember him, let's all do our part to use what we have and leave something bigger than ourselves."

Photo credit: Getty Images

0comments