Michelle Obama Speaks out About Cameron Boyce’s Death

Former First Lady Michelle Obama remembered Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce with a touching post on Instagram. The former Jessie star passed away Saturday after suffering a seizure “which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated.” He was 20.

“I was lucky enough to share a few moments with Cameron Boyce — on set, at the White House, and on a service project — enough time to recognize that not only did he have incredible talent, but also an incredible heart,” Obama wrote alongside a photo of herself with Boyce at the White House.

“Sending out a lot of love and hugs to his family, friends, and his many, many fans,” she added.

Throughout his short life, Obama and Boyce had crossed paths multiple times. As part of White House’s Joining Forces initiative, Obama appeared in a 2014 episode of Jessie, on which Boyce starred as Luke Ross. Titled “From the White House to Our House,” the episode raised awareness “about the service, sacrifice and needs of military families,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

That same year, the cast of Jessie, including Boyce, was invited to the White House to take part in the annual Easter Egg Roll, Deadline reports. In 2016, she and Boyce were also involved in a Toys for Tots campaign.

Obama was not the first politician to join the thousands of fans mourning Boyce. Shortly after the 20-year-old’s death, former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden remembered the late actor on Twitter.

“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,” he wrote. “[Dr. Jill Biden] and I are sending our prayers to his family.”

Obama and Biden are the latest in a round of celebrities to pay tribute in the wake of the young actor’s death. Many of Boyce’s Disney Channel co-stars, including Dove Cameron, Debby Ryan, and Kristin Chenoweth, have also remembered Boyce on social media.

Best known for his role as Luke Ross on the 2011-2015 Disney Channel sitcom Jessie, Boyce also starred in Disney XD’s Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the Disney Channel’s Descendants franchise, on which he starred as Cruella de Vil’s son.

Boyce will next be seen in Descendants 3, which is scheduled to air on the Disney Channel on Aug. 2.