Disney Cancels ‘Descendants 3’ Premiere Event in Wake of Cameron Boyce’s Death

In wake of the death of Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce, the network on Thursday announced that the July 22 red carpet premiere for Descendants 3 will be canceled. Instead, The Walt Disney Company will make a donation to the Thirst Project, a philanthropic organization it said Boyce was an advocate for. 

“With permission from the Boyce family, Disney Channel will dedicate the telecast of Descendants 3 in Cameron Boyce’s memory,” the network said in a statement. 

The late 20-year-old actor was best known for his roles in Disney Channel’s Descendants and Jessie. Boyce, a Los Angeles native, also starred in the 2010 Adam Sandler film Grown Ups and made appearances on other Disney Channel hits such as Austin & Ally and Liv and Maddie. 

In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, a rep for Boyce’s family said Sunday that he died due to an “ongoing medical condition.”

“It is with a profoundly heavy heart that we report that this morning we lost Cameron,” the spokesperson said, revealing that the young star had “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,” the statement continued. “We are utterly heartbroken and ask for privacy during this immensely difficult time as we grieve the loss of our precious son and brother.”

After news of his death broke, Boyce’s famous friends and former co-stars took to social media to pay tribute, including Sandler, Zendaya and Walt Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger. 

Disney also paid tribute to the actor with a montage video of photos of Boyce.

NEW: @DisneyChannel honors the late Cameron Boyce, cancels red carpet premiere of #Descendants3 and makes donation to the Thirst Project, a philanthropic organization to which Cameron was deeply committed. https://t.co/01vfy8wWsO pic.twitter.com/x8HSg0G51m

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 11, 2019