Jason Momoa Dedicates 'Aquaman 2' To Brave 8-Year-Old Fan Who Died Of Cancer
Jason Momoa has paid a special tribute to an eight-year-old Aquaman fan after learning that he sadly passed away last weekend.
Danny Sheehan from Marshfield, Massachusetts, passed away on Sunday following a brave four-year battle against pineoblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.
Sheehan became an overnight celebrity last November after a video of him excitedly unwrapping an Aquaman toy went viral online.
"Oh my gosh, my favorite one! AQUAMAAAAAAAAAAN!!!'" he could be heard exclaiming on the clip.
Momoa, who plays the DC Comics superhero on the big screen, soon learned of the young fan's adorable reaction and his ongoing fight against cancer.
Eager to get in touch, he decided to surprise Sheehan with a one-to-one call over FaceTime.
It was a call that proved to be just as memorable as his breakthrough viral video, with the young fan greeting the 41-year-old actor "Hi Aquaman!" before going on to tell him how he was "so excited" to meet him.
When The Game of Thrones star asked Sheehan how he was doing, the courageous youngster replied, stoically, "I'm doing good"
"Can I tell you something very important?" Sheehan asked Momoa during the call. "I love dolphins."
Momoa recommended he go for a ride on one sometime.
"I've never seen one before," Sheehan replied.
"We gotta make that happen," the actor suggested. "That'd be fun."
Later in the conversation, Momoa pledged to send the inspiring youngster one of Aquaman's tridents and invited him to the set of the upcoming sequel Aquaman 2.
Sheehan was delighted to receive his very own trident a few days later but was sadly not able to meet Momoa in person on the film's set.
In the early hours of Sunday, August 8, he died with Sheehan's parents confirming the news in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
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"Just after midnight, while in our arms, Danny took his last sweet small warm breaths and took flight. An Angel in Heaven. Instead of here on earth," his mother, Natalie, wrote on the 4TheLoveofDanny Facebook group.
"Surreal and utter heartbreak can't even begin to describe this feeling inside. But, I have to believe that what I whispered to him was true...When you wake up in Heaven, baby, you will be safe and happy and cozy. You won't be afraid."
Natalie posted the news alongside a picture of her son smiling in happier times.
Reacting to the news on Instagram, Momoa paid tribute to Sheehan and pledged to dedicate Aquaman 2 to his memory.
"I just found out this heartbreaking news," he wrote. "All my Aloha to this beautiful Ohana Love u baby boy rest in [peace]. You will live in my heart I dedicate aquaman 2 to you lil angel."
Momoa's heartfelt message was posted alongside a mural, unveiled last June at the Marshfield Boys & Girls Club which depicted Sheehan as a young Aquaman alongside his comic book hero.
According to Sheehan's obituary, his funeral will take place at Saint Christine's Church in Marshfield on Thursday, August 12.
