Stephen “tWitch” Boss, best known as the bubbly, longtime DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died at the age of 40.
Boss’ wife, Allison Holker Boss, confirmed news of his death to People magazine on Dec. 14.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” Allison, 34, wrote in a statement.
“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.”
“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt,” Allison continued. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory.”
Allison requested privacy “for myself and especially for our three children.”
“Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you,” she concluded.
TMZ, which first reported the news of Boss’ death, claimed the DJ died by suicide.
The outlet reported that Allison spoke to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on Tuesday and said that Boss had left their home without his car, and that kind of behaviour was unlike him.
Later, the LAPD was informed of a shooting at a nearby Los Angeles hotel, where Boss was discovered dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, TMZ reported.
Boss was the DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2014 up until the program’s final episode in 2022. He became an executive producer of Ellen in 2020.
Before Ellen, Boss got his start on MTV’s The Wade Robson Project and Star Search, two competitive dance productions that were popular in the 2000s.
Boss’ career launched into the stratosphere when he appeared on reality dance competition So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, where he was an easy fan-favourite. His krumping dance style won over both the audience and the judges, and he ended up taking second place.
Tributes for Boss have already poured in on social media.
Ellen DeGeneres shared a photo of she and Boss hugging to her Instagram account where she wrote that she was “heartbroken” over the news of his death.
“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,” she continued.
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