Twilight star Gregory Tyree Boyce and his girlfriend have been found dead together at their apartment in Las Vegas.

The 30-year-old actor and his 27-year-old partner Natalie Adepoju were found on 13 May, but the cause of death has not yet been announced.

The couple, who had been dating for around a year, were found by Boyce’s cousin, according to E! News.

Boyce was best known for playing Tyler Crowley in the first Twilight film in 2008.

A love interest of Bella Swan (played by Kristen Stewart), he nearly runs her over in a car park before being stopped at the last minute by Robert Pattinson‘s character, Edward.

Boyce also acted in a short film called Apocalypse in 2018.

In a poignant Instagram post marking his 30th birthday in December, Boyce shared a picture of himself as a child and wrote: “‘At one point I didn’t think I would make it to see 30 years old.

“Over the years like everyone else I have made mistakes along the way, but today is one of those days I only reflect on the great ones. What a time to be alive.”

His final post on the social media site was just a week ago, on the day celebrated as Mother’s Day in America, when he posted a picture of himself and his girlfriend sharing a kiss on the beach.

He wrote: “Happy Mother’s Day again to my right hand/ my roll dog/ my Queen! Love you.”

Boyce’s mother, Lisa Wayne, who last saw him on Mother’s Day, confirmed his death on Instagram, saying she had been due to meet her son this week.

Calling him her “favourite chef”, she also said he had been in the process of setting up a fast food business.

She wrote: “I’m sick without you. I’m torn, I’m lost. I’m in pain. I’d text you or call you when I was broken or worried about something, and you’d tell me, Ma, I got you, we’ll get thru this together. Boy. Why did you leave me?”

In a statement to TMZ, Boyce’s family said: “We as family of Gregory Boyce are very saddened by our loss. He was a dad, son, grandson, brother, uncle, and friend. He was the light of all our lives and we are very saddened by his death.”

The statement went on: “The Gregory we knew was intimate with the world and a good person. He was a very respectful and responsible man. He always put others first. The family would like to ask for our privacy as we mourn our losses and thank you for your well wishes.”

A GoFundMe page raising money to return Natalie Adepoju’s body to her family, remembers her as a “loving daughter, niece, sister, cousin, and friend”.

Boyce leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter, Alaya, and Adepoju leaves a young son, Egypt.