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It was supposed to be an evening like any other.
In early July, Victor and Libby Boyce went out to eat with their son Cameron Boyce. “It was a completely normal, beautiful family night out to dinner,” Victor recalled to Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts. But, the following day, on July 6th, the skyrocketing Disney star had passed away at age 20.
“There was no indication that anything was wrong,” his dad said. “I mean, there was no way to know in hours my son would be dead. It was just staggeringly crazy and horrible. We were texting that night.”
Following the tragic event, the family revealed that Cameron experienced a seizure in his sleep. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later confirmed that the Descendants star suffered a “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.”
Originally, his medical condition was kept private. After all, “he didn’t want his epilepsy to define him,” mom Libby told Roberts during their first sit-down interview. “And it didn’t.”
Rather, Cameron’s legacy is one filled with joy.
“He loved life,” Libby recalled. “He was in a place where he was truly happy. I mean, Cameron was always happy, never a negative thing came out of his mouth. Never. But he was just really finding his groove.” Chimed in Victor, “He was transitioning from being a kid to being a young adult.”
He was, indeed, making a name for himself—and leaving his mark on the world.
“He was getting into the charity stuff, really getting into what he wanted to do with his voice, which is what we always told him to do,” Libby continued. “Use your voice, use it to make positive in the world. And that’s what he was starting to do.”
Now, to honor their late son, they have launched The Cameron Boyce Foundation. The organization, according to its website, aims to provide “young people artistic and creative outlets as alternatives to violence and negativity and uses resources and philanthropy to positive change in the world.”
The full interview with Victor and Libby will air on Good Morning America on Thursday, August 15.