Disney Channel/David Bukach(LOS ANGELES) — The parents of Disney star Cameron Boyce, who died in July of epilepsy, are speaking out about their final night with their son and how they’d like him to be remembered.
“The night he passed away, we were out to dinner with him just hours before,” Victor Boyce told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts in the first part of an exclusive interview. “It was a completely normal, beautiful family night out to dinner.”
“There was no indication that anything was wrong,” he said of the Descendants movie series star. “I mean there was no way to know in hours my son would be dead. Like, it was just staggeringly crazy and horrible. And we were texting that night.”
Cameron Boyce, 20, died in his sleep after a seizure in early July. He had a rare “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy,” according to an autopsy report released by The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
The former child star’s parents only confirmed after his death that he had epilepsy, explaining that their son “didn’t want his epilepsy to define him.”
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that actively affects about 3.4 million people in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To honor Cameron’s memory, his family launched The Cameron Boyce Foundation, which will provide “young people artistic and creative outlets as alternatives to violence and negativity,” and which will “use resources and philanthropy for positive change in the world,” according to their website.
Cameron was honored with a tribute earlier this month after the premiere of Descendants 3 on the Disney Channel. It included footage of him with his co-stars, as well as moment from an early audition.
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