"Forgive Me While I Cry": Adam Sandler’s Touching Tribute to Cameron Boyce 

This past weekend, Netflix released Happy Gilmore 2, and attentive viewers spotted a moving tribute: a fleeting image of the late actor Cameron Boyce, who tragically passed away in 2019 at the age of 20, appears in the background of one scene.

Boyce, who played Sandler’s son in Grown Ups, died in his sleep from an epileptic seizure. In Happy Gilmore 2, a brief clip from the Disney Channel series Jessie, where Boyce starred as Luke Ross, plays on a TV screen during a scene. One fan shared the discovery on social media with the caption: “Adam included a little tribute to Cameron Boyce in Happy Gilmore 2. Forgive me while I sob.”

This isn’t the first time Sandler has honored Boyce’s memory. In 2020, he dedicated his Netflix Halloween comedy Hubie Halloween to the young actor. Boyce had been cast in the film to once again portray Sandler’s son, but passed away before filming began. The film ends with a heartfelt slide reading: “In loving memory of Cameron Boyce. Gone way too soon. One of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are missed every day.”

Sandler spoke emotionally about Boyce in a 2020 interview with Jimmy Fallon: “Cameron was a great kid. In Grown Ups, he was just a little guy, and I watched him grow into a superstar. My kids idolized him… he even came to my daughter’s bat mitzvah. There were 400 people there, and he signed autographs for every kid who asked. Everyone adored him. He was always giving, he’d ask me for favors, but they were always for charity.”

Born in Los Angeles, Boyce began acting at the age of nine in the horror film Mirrors and rose to fame with Grown Ups and the Disney series Jessie. He starred in all four seasons of Jessie, as well as Disney’s Descendants and its sequel. Boyce also voiced the character of Jake in several seasons of Jake and the Never Land Pirates. He passed away on July 6, 2019.