Cameron Boyce’s rare cause of death explained after ‘heartbreaking’ reference in Happy Gilmore 2

Cameron Boyce’s tragic death has seen a renewed interest this week after a ‘heartbreaking’ reference to the late young star was spotted in Happy Gilmore 2.

Boyce tragically died in 2019 at the age of 20, having made his name starring in the Descendants franchise alongside roles in Jessie and other Disney roles. He also starred in the Grown Ups films as the son of Adam Sandler’s character.

This led Sandler to leave a small tribute to Boyce in his newest film, Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2.

Sandler paid tribute to Boyce at the time of his death, saying in part: “Too young. Too sweet. Too funny. Just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around.

“All our hearts are broken. Thinking of your amazing family and sending our deepest condolences.”

Boyce died of SUDEP, a rare cause of death related to epilepsy.

What is Cameron Boyce’s rare cause of death, SUDEP?

SUDEP is an acronym, standing for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. This affects 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy every year, meaning that 99.9% of people with epilepsy will not be effected by it.

Estimates from the Cure Epilepsy, a non-profit research foundation, suggest that this leads to 3,000 deaths a year, the leading cause of death amongst people with uncontrolled seizures.

SUDEP occurs in people who otherwise appeared healthy and often occurs at night or during sleep and, while there is often evidence of a seizure having taken place, this is not always the case.

While many believe it is to do with someone’s epilepsy disrupting heart rhythm others believe it is due to breathing difficulties.

Cameron’s family set up the Cameron Boyce Foundation in his honour, working to try and cure epilepsy and fund causes he was passionate about.

What is the hidden tribute to Cameron Boyce in Happy Gilmore 2?

One fan on TikTok was the first to spot the tribute to the late young actor, amassing 3.3 million views in the process.

They posted a video with a caption saying ‘Adam made sure to give Cameron his cameo’.

The clip showed Happy Gilmore showing up to a golf course where the course attendants are barely paying attention as they watch TV.

The TV is shown to be playing an episode of Jessie in a blink and you’ll miss it reference to the late actor.

One fan posted the news to X, saying: “Adam put a tiny Cameron Boyce (played his son in Grown Ups) tribute in Happy Gilmore 2. Excuse me while I sob.”

Another fan said in the comments on TikTok: “That’s so sad stop.”

Happy Gilmore 2 is available to watch on Netflix now.