Adam Sandler’s latest Netflix movie, Hubie Halloween, ends with a tribute to the late actor Cameron Boyce, even though Boyce doesn’t technically appear in the film.
Halfway through the credits of Sandler’s Halloween movie, a message appears on the screen alongside an image of the late actor. “In loving memory of Cameron Boyce,” it reads. “Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day.”
Boyce, who was best known for starring in Disney Channel’s Descendants and Jessie, passed away in July 2019 of a seizure caused by epilepsy. He was 20 years old.
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In addition to his Disney Channel work, Boyce appeared alongside Sandler in both Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2, playing the son of Lenny (Sandler) and Roxanne (Salma Hayek). He was set to return to work with Sandler in Hubie Halloween, Sandler told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, but he died “just a few days before filming.”
“That kid was a great kid. His family is amazing. I watched him grow up and become a superstar,” Sandler said on The Tonight Show.
Sandler later added, “He was just the nicest kid. He would always have charities going on. He would always speak to me, ‘Can you do this, can you do that?’ It was always for charity. He never cared about anything else. Just a nice, solid, talented kid.”
Refinery29 has reached out to Netflix for further comment on the tribute to Boyce.
When news of Boyce’s death broke in 2019, Sandler was among the first to pay tribute to the late actor. “Too young. Too sweet. Too funny," he wrote. "Just the nicest, most decent kid around. Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way.”
— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) July 7, 2019
Sandler isn’t the only former co-star of Boyce’s to appear in Hubie Halloween — the spooky comedy also features Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2 co-stars Kevin James, Maya Rudolph, Steve Buscemi, and Rob Schneider.