Stephen “tWitch” Boss, dancer and judge of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and DJ on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, has died at age 40. A cause of death was not officially announced, but TMZ has reported that Boss died by suicide.
Boss’ wife, fellow dancer Allison Holker, issued a statement confirming her husband’s death: “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 … 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.” Holker concluded her statement with: “Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.’
Boss first rose to stardom as a professional dancer in 2003, becoming a semifinalist on the MTV dance competition The Wade Robson Project and later competing on the talent show Star Search. He competed in Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, becoming a runner-up alongside series winner Joshua Allen, and returning to the show in following seasons as a featured ‘All-Star’. This year, he returned to the reality competition show as a judge for Season 17. Beginning in 2014, Boss was featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as the talk show’s DJ and co-host. Boss starred on the series for eight years, serving as a co-executive producer for the last two until its final episode in 2022. In addition to that gig, Boss was an announcer on DeGeneres’ NBC game show Ellen’s Game of Games, which ran for four seasons from 2017 to 2021.
Boss married Holker — a fellow “SYTYCD” alum who competed on Season 2 and returned as an all-star in future seasons — in 2013. The couple celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary on Dec. 10, just days before Boss’ death. Along with his wife Allison, Boss is survived by their three children: Weslie, 14; Maddox, 6; and Zaia, 3.
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