Cameron Boyce‘s mother, Libby Boyce, thanked Adam Sandler for the tribute to her son in “Happy Gilmore 2.”
“Thank you [Adam Sandler] for honoring Cam’s legacy in ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’” she wrote in an Instagram post Monday, sharing a still of the tribute and a frame of Sandler and Boyce in “Grown Ups 2.” Boyce died in 2019 due to an epileptic seizure in his sleep.
“Happy Gilmore 2’s” nod to Boyce comes early in the film as Sandler’s foul-mouthed golfer is checking in for a tee time. When Happy approaches the desk, one of the clerks is watching a scene from the Disney Channel comedy “Jessie” featuring Boyce.
On Sunday, she also posted an article about the “Happy Gilmore 2” tribute and shared some details about her son and Sandler’s relationship.
“Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,” she wrote on Instagram. “Cameron was supposed to be in ‘Hubie Halloween’ and they were strategizing. They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real. Adam always finds a way to keep Cam’s memory alive which warms our heart.”
This isn’t the first time Sandler paid tribute to the young star in one of his films. Sandler dedicated his 2020 comedy “Hubie Halloween” to Boyce, who was supposed to star alongside him before his untimely death. A message in the film’s credits reads, “In loving memory of Cameron Boyce. 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 came up as a child star, starring in Disney’s “Jessie” and the “Descendants” film series. He later appeared in the 2008 films “Mirrors” and “Eagle Eye” before starring as Sandler’s on-screen son in “Grown Ups” and “Grown Ups 2.”
After Boyce’s death, Sandler shared the following tribute on X, “Too young. Too sweet. Too funny. Just the nicest, most talented, and 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. All our hearts are broken. Thinking of your amazing family and sending our deepest condolences.”