Cameron Boyce’s memory lives on.
Adam Sandler has paid tribute to his late “Grown Ups” co-star with a thoughtful scene in “Happy Gilmore 2,” which premiered on Netflix on Friday, July 25.
The blink-and-you-miss-it moment comes early in the new sequel when Sandler’s titular character, Happy Gilmore, approaches a check-in booth before starting a round of golf.
Eagle-eyed viewers can notice that the Disney Channel show “Jessie,” which Boyce starred in as Luke Ross from 2011 to 2015, is playing on a small TV in the corner.
Even more surprising is that the TV is playing a scene that shows Boyce’s character on the screen.
“Adam Sandler including Cameron Boyce in Happy Gilmore 2 is hurting and healing my heart at the same time,” one person captioned a clip of the touching moment on TikTok.
“Lovely tribute to Cameron Boyce in Happy Gilmore 2,” another viewer wrote. “We all miss you.”
“Love that he included him!” a third fan added.
Boyce tragically passed away in July 2019 after suffering an epileptic seizure in his sleep. He was only 20 years old.
Before his shocking death, the young actor starred in “Jessie” and Disney’s popular “Descendants” franchise.
Boyce and Sandler first starred together as father-son duo Lenny and Keithie Feder in Sandler’s 2010 comedy “Grown Ups,” and they later reunited for the movie’s 2013 sequel, “Grown Ups 2.”
But “Happy Gilmore 2” isn’t the first time that Sandler paid tribute to his late former co-star.
In 2020’s “Hubie Halloween,” the comedian included a shoutout to Boyce halfway through the film’s end credits.
“In loving memory of Cameron Boyce,” it read. “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.”
Some of Boyce’s other co-stars recently remembered the “Jessie” star, both for what would have been his 26th birthday in May and for the sixth anniversary of his passing earlier this month.
“I still feel you all the time. Catch you in the next life,” Dove Cameron wrote on Instagram on May 28. “Happy birthday. I love you.”
“Our Angel,” his “Descendants” co-star Sofia Carson wrote on Instagram on Sunday, July 6. “Forever.”
“On a BC ferry headed to Victoria to shoot more of Descendants,” Booboo Stewart added in a separate post. “Life is good. Miss you Cam.”
Meanwhile, Sandler included several additional nods to those he misses most in “Happy Gilmore 2.”
Carl Weathers, who was set to return as Derick “Chubbs” Peterson before he passed away in February 2024, is remembered in the new sequel through several flashbacks to the 1996 original.
Slim, a new character played by Lavell Crawford, is also introduced as Chubbs’ prosthetic-hand-wearing son.
Meanwhile, “Happy Gilmore 2” includes several surprising moments – including the death of one beloved character that has left fans outraged.
Picking up nearly 30 years after the events of the original movie, “Happy Gilmore 2” follows Sandler’s character as he unretires from professional golf to raise money for his daughter’s ballet classes.
Julie Bowen (Virginia Venit) and Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin) reprise their original roles, and the movie sees dozens of celebrity cameos.
Plus, Sandler’s real-life wife, Jackie Sandler, and real-life daughters, Sadie and Sunny Sandler, also appear.
“Happy Gilmore 2” is streaming now on Netflix.
