We learned a couple of days ago that Jessie and Descendants star Cameron Boyce had passed away in his sleep at the age of 20. It was very surprising.
The original statement from a family spokesperson indicated that he had an ongoing medical condition that caused the issue:
“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.”
Yesterday the released initial autopsy reports and it was indicated that they didn’t find a cause at this time. I’m sure it’s still and ongoing thing.
In light of this the family released another statement clarifying what the “ongoing medical condition” was. The spokesperson told ABC News:
“Cameron’s tragic passing was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was Epilepsy. 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.”
It’s truly a tragic event. My kids watched Jessie since it started. We actually watched the first episode from our Walt Disney World hotel room. They loved the Disney Channel show. My daughter is a huge Descendants fan. She was so upset when I told her.
Epilepsy can be a scary thing. I grew up seeing first hand how frightening and dangerous it can be. According to GMA there are 3.5 million people in the United States with this neurological disease and 1 in 1,000 people can die from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy or SUDEP. This is the leading cause of Epilepsy related deaths.
Boyce was also known for his humanitarian efforts to try and improve the world. Fighting homelessness and raising awareness over things like the global water crisis. GMA anchor Paula Faris said:
As his family plans his funeral they are confident that he’ll be remembered for trying to make the world a better place. Boyce recently said, as he was accepting an award, that “what you leave should be bigger than you.”
That’s something we all should remember.
I can’t imagine how awful this must be for his family. Our hearts go out to them, his fans and his friends at this time.
Source: ABC News/GMA
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