Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, and Michelle Obama are among the prominent names paying tribute to dancer and DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss, who died earlier this week by suicide at 40.
The star died Tuesday at a motel in the Encino area of Los Angeles, People reported. County officials have since confirmed that his cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Boss rose to fame when he finished off as a runner-up on the dance show "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2008. He returned to the show as a judge in 2022.
Boss is also known as the resident DJ for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." His tenure began in 2014 and in 2020 he was promoted to co-executive producer. DeGeneres spoke of how "heartbroken" she was upon hearing of his death.
"tWitch was pure love and light," she tweeted. "He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him."
Former First Lady Michelle Obama also took to Twitter to remember the late star.
"I was heartbroken to learn about the passing of Stephen "tWitch" Boss, who I got to know over the years through my Let's Move! initiative and visits to The Ellen Show. My heart goes out to his wife, Allison, and his three children during this difficult time," she wrote.
Jennifer Lopez honored Boss' memory in an Instagram post, describing the professional dancer and DJ as "a light and a beautiful soul," adding that she was "shocked and deeply saddened" by his sudden death.
Meanwhile, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tweeted a condolence message, saying Boss was a "great guy."
"Sending his family all the love, light, strength and mana," he wrote. "I've lost a lot of friends to the struggle. You never know what's happening between the ears. So sorry Boss family. Stay strong."
Boss' wife, Allison Holker Boss, revealed his death Wednesday in a statement in which she praised him as a husband and father to children Zaia, 3, Maddox, 6, and Weslie, 14.
"Stephen lit up every room he stepped into," she said. "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."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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