Ellen DeGeneres is devastated over the death of her longtime friend and colleague Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
“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,” the comedian, 64, wrote on Instagram Wednesday alongside a photo of the pair hugging.
She added, “Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children – Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.”
Boss began working as a guest DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2014, and he was promoted to co-executive producer of the daytime talk show in 2020.
Prior to “Ellen” coming to an end earlier this year following a 19-season run, DeGeneres and Boss sat down together to reflect on their time on the show.
“I’m feeling all of the things, but what I’m feeling most of all is grateful and thankful that, I mean, you can see this atmosphere that is here that has showed up because you also had the courage to step up and be your authentic self,” the “So You Think You Can Dance” alum told the host during their “final chat” in September.
He continued, “I’m just so grateful that I got to be a part of this and be a part of this family.”
In May, DeGeneres paid a special tribute to Boss with a video message and highlights from some of his best moments on the show.
“Over a decade ago, I met someone who changed my life and our show,” the “Ellen” alum said at the time, before telling her DJ, “I love you so much, and it’s been an emotional week. … You always make me smile and laugh. And anyway, we put a little something together to show you just how much we all love you here.”
DeGeneres added in the video montage that she and Boss “bonded over learning to dance together.”
“Whenever he’s not here, for whatever reason, it’s just different,” she said. “I count on him to look over at and make silly jokes, and he’s my pal, you know, he’s my sidekick because we have this connection, so just looking over and he makes me laugh. He really, really makes me laugh.”
The talk show legend concluded, “I love you, tWitch, and we tell each other that every day when we say goodbye after the show. We both say, ‘Love you.’”
When DeGeneres came under fire for allegedly fostering a toxic work environment in 2020, Boss came to her defense.
“We can’t speak too much legally about it, but I’ll say this: There’s been love,” the dancer told Us Weekly in August of that year.
“Obviously, there’s some things to address, but from my standpoint and from countless others, there’s been love. I’ll just leave it at that until there’s a time where we can address more publicly. There’s been love, and there will continue to be love.”
Page Six confirmed Boss died by suicide on Tuesday at age 40.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that police discovered his body in a Los Angeles hotel room. It appears he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He is survived by his wife, Allison Holker, and their three children, Weslie, 14, Maddox, 6, and Zaia, 3.
The “Dancing With the Stars” alum, 34, said in a statement after her husband’s death, “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.”
She continued, “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. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory.”
Holker concluded, “Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
