The tragic passing of Jessie and Descendants star Cameron Boyce sent shockwaves through the Disney TV family, and a number of his friends and co-stars took to social media to share their grief and pay tribute to the young actor. One notable absence from the outpouring on social media was a tribute post from Jessie leading lady Debby Ryan. People noticed and, as happens far too often on social media, hit up Ryan's Instagram comments to demand an explanation for why, and Ryan subsequently turned off her comments.
Well, Debby Ryan broke her Instagram silence with a video clip showing a touching moment from the set of Jessie with Cameron Boyce. Take a look:
The clip Debby Ryan chose to post to honor Cameron Boyce on Instagram comes from the Jessie series finale, when Jessie (Ryan) is saying goodbye to Luke (Boyce) and the rest of the family that had taken her in. It was a touching moment on the show, made all the more poignant now as Ryan's tribute to Boyce, who was only 20-years-old at the time of his passing.
Debby Ryan didn't post a message to go along with the video other than a broken heart emoji, but that says a lot despite its simplicity. Interestingly, the Instagram comments are back on for this particular post, but seem to remain off for others on her page. Celebs who commented on her post include Katherine McNamara (who appeared in two episodes of Jessie back in 2013 before she landed Shadowhunters and then Arrow in a key role) and Riverdale's Lili Reinhart, among others.
This Jessie series finale hug was technically not the first time Debby Ryan addressed the passing of Cameron Boyce on Instagram, but her initial post didn't last. It was an Instagram story clip of Boyce giving a speech at the 2018 Thirst Gala. Fortunately, the comments on her post seem to be friendly rather than demanding.
Debby Ryan's tribute came shortly before Cameron Boyce's cause of death was confirmed by his family. When the news of his death first broke, his family stated that he "passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated," but did not reveal details about that condition. An autopsy was performed following his death, and his family confirmed on July 10 that the medical condition that resulted in the seizure was epilepsy.
Cameron Boyce's family asks for privacy in this difficult time, and the social media posts from his friends and costars seem like an appropriate way to honor him. Only time will tell if the series finale video will be the extent of Debby Ryan weighing in on Boyce's passing. She certainly chose a touching video in order to do so.
