Stephen “tWitch” Boss has died at the age of 40. The dancer first rose to fame as a contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance,” and quickly became a popular fan favorite. In 2014, he joined The Ellen Degeneres Show as a DJ on the show. TMZ was the first to report his death, which was an apparent suicide.
His wife, Allison Holker, confirmed his death in a statement PERSONSand said in part: “It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that my husband Stephen has left us. Stephen lit up every room he entered. He valued family, friends and community above all else and led 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,” continued Holker, 34. “I’m sure not a day will go by that we don’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy at this difficult time for me and our three children in particular.” She added, “Stephen we love you, we miss you and I will always save the last dance for you.”
Boss and Holker, was also a former So You Think You Can Dance contestant who married in 2013. They have three children together. Together, Boss and Holker hosted Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings on Freeform and later on Disney+. Her family lives in Los Angeles. The couple often shared videos of their dancing tick tock. They also star in Disney+’s The Hip-Hop Nutcracker, which releases November 25.
Boss was a runner-up on his season of “SYTYCD,” but he’s appeared frequently on the show as an all-star dancer and even served as a judge for the competition, and some of the routines he participated in are among the shows most loved. Prior to his stint on the reality show, he appeared in 2007’s Blades of Glory and Hairspray as a dancer. He also starred in 2010’s Stomp the Yard: Homecoming and several films in the Step Up franchise. His biggest film role was in 2015’s Magic Mike XXL as Malik.
Back in May, Boss was thinking about ending the “Ellen” show. He said E! news At the time, missing the laugh so much, he said, “Ellen and I have a couple of inside jokes that happened during the show. We just laugh and laugh and laugh.”
He also said he appreciates that the show often features “normal people doing super extraordinary things” and that he hopes other shows will adopt that mantle. “I really hope we see a lot more places, whether it’s in the form of talk shows or something, that sheds a light on ordinary people doing incredible things for people to help them because it’s bigger than us,” he said.
If you or a loved one is having suicidal thoughts or is at risk, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has several resources and a 24/7 lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.