Cameron Boyce's Mother Says Son's Sudden Death at Age 20 Remains 'Horrific' (Exclusive)

The precocious character Cameron Boyce's mother Libby is reflecting connected nan six-plus years that person passed since her boy died abruptly astatine 20.

Libby, a longtime societal worker and president of nan Cameron Boyce Foundation, opened up to PEOPLE astir her travel pinch condolences successful nan years since Cameron's decease aft experiencing a seizure successful his sleep successful June 2019.

"Grief ne'er goes away, you know. It's ever benignant of correct successful nan shadows," Libby says. "I ever say, correct present each nan time. So it doesn't really spell away. It doesn't really moreover lessen, frankly. I mean, it does evidently from nan first shock. But what I've learned much than thing is really cliché, but unrecorded for this infinitesimal and you ne'er know."

Cameron was a young character champion known for his performances successful respective Disney Channel programs and Adam Sandler's Grown Ups movies, successful which he portrayed Sandler's onscreen son. For Libby, nan trauma she knowledgeable aft Cameron's decease "changes really you position death, it changes really you proceed successful nan world."

"He and I had an highly adjacent relationship, truthful I cognize what he would beryllium thinking. I cognize what he would want maine to do," Libby says of her son. "I cognize he'd want maine to beryllium a badass and spell retired and do each these things. So I effort and I conscionable benignant of support him pinch me. But yeah, it's not easy. It's horrific. But you person to spell on. You can't conscionable spell to furniture and ne'er aftermath up. You gotta support going."

Cameron's life and bequest received renewed nationalist attraction successful July erstwhile Sandler, 58, paid tribute to Cameron successful Happy Gilmore 2 by utilizing his likeness successful nan inheritance of a little scene. Libby says that Sandler reaches retired to nan Boyce family — she and hubby Victor stock girl Maya, who is besides an character — "a mates times a twelvemonth conscionable to spot really [Victor is] doing and say, 'Hey,' and that he is reasoning astir us."

"It's much typical because he thought of this, not truthful overmuch to do pinch nan movie, conscionable that Adam still thinks astir Cameron and evidently holds him successful precocious regard, because he could, he could person thing successful the background," Libby says of Sandler's tribute to her son. "That's very typical to us, and it benignant of speaks to nan truth that — nan further it gets distant from his passing, group don't cognize who he is. We'd for illustration to deliberation he had a beardown effect connected nan world. And it's highly sad that he's still not here, but to cognize that he's remembered fondly, particularly [by] group he worked pinch and hired him and worked pinch him and said, 'Oh my God, this kid's really special.' That's nan bully part."

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Libby, who tells PEOPLE she is retiring from her profession arsenic a societal worker aft much than 3 decades successful September, says she is eager to proceed spending her clip caring for her family arsenic fervently arsenic her boy erstwhile did.

"Taking attraction of his sister and his dad, that's what he was about, taking attraction of his family and his friends," Libby says. "So I'm nan 1 who does that now. We did it together and now it's connected me."