Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss of ‘The Ellen Show’ dies at 40

LOS ANGELES

Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the longtime and beloved dancing DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and a former contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance,” has died at the age of 40.

His wife, Allison Holker Boss, confirmed his passing in a statement published on Dec. 15 on People.com. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” she said.

“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.”
Boss died by suicide, according to the LA County Medical Examiner. The LA County Coroner’s Office concluded their examination and published the report on his death on Dec. 14.

tWitch started his tenure at “The Ellen Show” in 2014 and later was promoted to co-executive producer in 2020.
“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. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children - Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia,” DeGeneres stated on Twitter, alongside a photo of the two embracing in a hug.

The dancer-DJ also appeared in films like “Step Up: All In” and “Magic Mike XXL” and was featured in Disney+’s ”The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” released this year. He also had placed as a runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance” and later judged season 17 of the dance competition show.

The Alabama native studied dance performance at Southern Union State Community College and Chapman University. His love of dancing permeated through all aspects of his life as he aspired to emulate greats like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. “My personal opinion: The greatest of all time had to be Gene Kelly, man. Gene Kelly, because he’s a guy’s guy. I love Fred Astaire, but Fred Astaire was so smooth, and it was great. He was so classy,” Boss said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2014.

Boss posted dance videos on TikTok with his wife, who is also a professional dancer, with their children making guest appearances.