Just two months before he died of a seizure brought on by an “ongoing medical condition,” 20-year-old Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce opened up about wanting to be a “difference maker.” In an interview with Haute Living in May, just two months before his tragic passing Boyce, who rose to fame in the Descendants films and on the series Jessie, spoke about why giving back was so important to him and his extensive charity work.
“There’s a long line of difference makers in my family. 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,” he said.
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“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,” he added.
Later in the interview, Boyce added that he hoped his own charitable endeavors would inspire others to give back.
“Many people have the heart to give back, but a lot don’t know how to,” he said. “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.”
The Disney Channel star, who was African American and Jewish, also spoke of how his family inspired him, especially his grandmother, Jo Ann Boyce, who was a member of the Clinton 12, a group of Tennessee students who were the first to desegregate a state-supported high school in 1956.
“I have plenty of ancestors and family members that I can look to for strength, and more importantly, for a grateful outlook on life,” he said. “Every one of them clawed and scratched for my sister and I to be in the position we’re in today.”
In April of 2018, Boyce was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award at the 9th Annual Thirst Gala for raising more than $30,000 for the Thirst Project to help build two wells in Swaziland.
After news of his death broke on Sunday, the Thirst Project released a statement reacting to the loss.
“We are at loss for words and a bit shaken up from the news of the unfortunate and untimely passing of our dear friend,” the statement read. “Cameron was such an amazing light to many and also did so much for Thirst Project. 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.”
Although Boyce’s family announced that the actor had passed away from a seizure due to an ongoing medical condition, an official cause of death has not yet been determined. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has scheduled an autopsy and an investigation into his death is underway.
