R.I.P. Stephen “tWitch” Boss, star of So You Think You Can Dance and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Stephen "tWitch" Boss, DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 40
Aux News So You Think You Can Dance
Stephen “tWitch” Boss, All-Star contestant and judge on So You Think You Can Dance and longtime DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The television personality died by suicide, a representative confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 40 years old.
Boss’ wife Allison Holker Boss confirmed his death in a statement to People, saying, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us. 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.”
The statement continues, “To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time 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.”
Per People, Boss came up on MTV’s The Wade Robson Project and was a runner-up on Star Search. In 2008, he competed on So You Think You Can Dance and became a runner-up in the fourth season. He later returned as an All-Star and became one of the show’s judges in 2022. He met his wife, a fellow dancer, through the show; they married in 2013.
Boss joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014 as the daytime talk show’s guest DJ and became a staple of the program through its final episode, eventually rising to become a co-executive producer in 2020. Following the news of Boss’ death, executive producer Andy Lassner shared a photo of himself, DeGeneres, and Boss on Twitter with the caption, “Rest, my friend.”
Boss is survived by his wife and three children. R.I.P.
20 Comments
Awful, awful news.
Six years ago I lost my best friend to suicide… two weeks ago my other best friend attempted suicide and was saved in the nick of time… my transgender daughter recently revealed to us in therapy that she feels suicidal almost every day… it’s such a horrible thing. My heart is breaking
I’m so sorry. I hope you have people who are there for you, you need support too. I can’t imagine how it felt hearing your daughter say that but I think that the fact that she did (as opposed to keeping it to herself) means she’s trying to fight. Wishing you, your family and your friend all the best.
Some of the earlier TMZ reports suggest that this may have been a situation the family had been dealing with for a while. So sad, and a very real reminder that you may never know what’s going on inside someone no matter their public demeanor or success.
Extremely true… look at Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams, Kate Spade…
I don’t fucking believe this. I have adored this dancer since I can’t remember. I’d never seen someone take so much joy in his art, who seemed so well loved, who found purpose in guiding other. What hope is there for the rest of us?
“But Doctor…I Am Pagliacci!”
What hope is there for the rest of us?I think of that a lot when I see suicides by people that seem to have it all. It always reminds me of the Richard Cory poem.
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.Richard Cory, Edwin Arlington Robinson – 1897
“Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he’s depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, ‘Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.’ Man bursts into tears. Says, ‘But doctor…I am Pagliacci.’Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.”Watchmen (1986)
I remember looking up Richard Cory when Anthony Bordain died, cause it really reminded me of him, and being surprised it was written in 1897. I guess it’s something people have always struggled with.Same as it ever was.
That Watchmen quote is derived from an earlier story from the 1820s about The Great Grimaldi.Flat circle.
Thanks for the poem, friend.
Paul McCartney and Wings set a variation of that poem to music, I played it many times as a kid – never knew it was actually written by someone else so long ago… Tragic, yet eminently relatable.
I’ve heard the Simon & Garfunkel version.
Is suicide a better or worse way to go than autoerotic asphyxiation?
Come on man. Don’t be like that asshole spider who has to leave his lameass flopsweat comments on every article.
On the subject of obits, I didn’t see one for for Stuart Margolin.I loved that guy as Angel on Rockford Files. So slimy and smarmy, yet impossible not to root for after awhile.OTOH, If you’d asked me, I’d have said he died a long time ago.https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcberman1/2022/12/13/stuart-margolin-emmy-winning-the-rockford-files-actor-dies-at-82/?sh=14439cc84ddd
A terrific, always reliable actor, I was happy to see he had two Emmys for The Rockford Files. Yet another sad loss. R.I.P.
Damn. I watched a good amount of the newest season of So You Think. You Can Dance with my family, and I hadn’t heard of the guy beforehand, but he was an incredibly charismatic, likable host, and an amazing dancer. Incredibly tragic.