After Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the former “The Ellen Degeneres Show” DJ and performer on “So You Think You Can Dance”, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, friends, family and former coworkers shared an outpouring of love for him.
Who was Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss?
Boss grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and “earned his nickname as a child when he couldn’t sit still,” CNN reported.
The 40-year-old first made a name for himself as a TV personality and dancer after earning the runner up spot on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2008.
Fans of the show liked him so much that he later returned as a judge.
Through the show is also how he met his wife, Allison Holker.
“My best advice is to find a dance partner that you trust and you love. For me, that’s my beautiful wife, Allison,” Boss said on “The Ellen Show.”
The couple has three children together.
From “So You Think You Can Dance”, he gained enough notoriety with his charisma that Ellen DeGeneres added him to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as the DJ on the show.
The LA County Medical Examiner reported that boss died by suicide, per CNN.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” Holker Boss said in a statement, per People Magazine. “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”
What did Ellen DeGeneres and others say about tWitch?
DeGeneres, Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross and others have shared touching tributes to Boss.
Here’s what they said.
“I’m heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children - Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia,” DeGeneres tweeted.
“Fuller House” actress Jodie Sweetin told Entertainment Weekly that she went to college with Boss and that their kids attend the same school. She said that Boss was “such a talent and such an amazing, warm, wonderful heart. He will be greatly missed.”
“The world lost a bright light today. Twitch brought joy and love to people all over the world through music and through dance. My heart is heavy today for his family and all of those who knew and loved him,” Kerry Washington tweeted.
“Rest in Paradise, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss 🕊️This was the moment I was introduced to him on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’—our first introduction to his bright light. He was an incredible dancer, a son, a father, a multifaceted entertainer and a beacon of joy for so many. Sending so much love to his wife, his children, and his loved ones,” actress Tracee Ellis Ross wrote in an Instagram post.
“Twitch was such a light and a beautiful soul… Shocked and deeply saddened. My heart breaks for Twitch, his wife and children Sending you love and strength,” Jennifer Lopez tweeted.