Jenna Ortega Reveals the Last Time She Saw Her Friend Cameron Boyce Before His Tragic Death
Jenna Ortega reminisced about the final moments she shared with her friend, the late Cameron Boyce, who died in his sleep in July 2019.
"The last time I saw my friend Cameron Boyce — I'd known him since I was like 11 or 12, and we were supposed to kiss [in an audition] and he knew me, since I was 11 or 12. This is a few years later, 15, 16, came in, we were supposed to be love interests," she said while talking to her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costars Winona Ryder, 52, and Catherine O'Hara, 70.
The actress added, "But because he obviously felt weird and he was a bit older, he was like — we both just kinda looked at each other and we were like, 'No, we can't do this.' And it was so sweet because I was uncomfortable and I was having a hard time. .. And then, we wished each other well."
Like Ortega, other Disney stars took to Instagram to reflect on the actor’s kindness this past year.
In March, China Anne McClain told People in a statement that she was “apprehensive to revisit the Descendants world at first because losing Cam was the first heartbreak I’ve ever experienced."
Paying tribute on what would have been his 25th birthday, Sofia Carson called Boyce “our Angel,” as she wrote, “I miss your smile and sunshine a whole lot extra today.”
“I’ll never forget you,” Boyce's Jessie costar Skai Jackson also said as she shared a sweet photo of her and the Descendants star hugging.
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Additionally, Boyce's parents, Victor and Libby, wrote touching tributes about their late child.
“Happy 25th birthday my beautiful son. There's no words to express how much we love and miss you. Even though you've left us, you still continue to touch and inspire people all around the globe. It's still feels like a dream that I wish I could wake up from. I miss you so much Cameron,” Victor posted on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white photo of Cameron.
“Even though you’ve left us, you continue to touch and inspire people all around the globe. It still feels like a dream I wish I could wake up from [sic]. I miss you so much, Cameron,” he continued.
At the 3rd Annual Cameron Boyce Foundation Gala in June, Cameron's parents reflected on his vibrant presence.
Cameron’s dad and mom said it “means everything” to them that fans and his loved ones continue remembering him.
"For me, it's a reminder of just what a beautiful soul we birthed, but also we raised. And so, it's very mixed. It was very bittersweet. It was a very hard day, but it was also a very beautiful thing to see what he meant to so many people," Libby told People.
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The gathering, which is a fundraiser for The Cameron Boyce Foundation, is held annually to raise both funds and awareness for epilepsy and SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy), the condition that tragically claimed Cameron’s life.