Grieving a friend. Ellen DeGeneres is still sharing glimpses of her favorite moments with late DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss nearly two weeks after he died by suicide.
“He was magic,” the comedian, 64, tweeted on Friday, December 23, alongside a clip from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which aired its final episode in May.
In the footage, the talk show host told viewers: “You all know we’re lucky to have an amazing dancer here at the show. Me — and then tWitch is also here.”
DeGeneres went on to add that the So You Think You Can Dance alum had “danced with his own emoji, and it was hard to tell which tWitch was which.” She then introduced a game called “Can tWitch Dance With What’s Behind Him?”
The Alabama native took to the floor and was instructed to copy the moves of dancers showing up on a screen behind him. He proceeded to attempt the Charleston, Irish step dance and Russian folk movements before imitating the flailing inflatable tubes typically found at car dealerships. Last but not least, Boss tried his hand at doing the worm.
The throwback video was one of many tributes DeGeneres has shared in the wake of Boss’ death. Us Weekly confirmed that the dancer passed away at age 40 on December 13, and his death was later ruled a suicide by medical examiners in Los Angeles.
“The past 11 days have been really tough for everyone. Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it,” the Finding Dory star said in another video shared on Friday. “We [may] never make sense of it. And the holidays are hard, I think, anyway. But to honor tWitch, I think the best thing that we can do is to laugh and hug each other, play games and dance and sing. That’s the way we honor him.”
She continued: “I know it seems hard — it seems impossible. But that’s how we honor him. And hug each other and tell each other we love each other. … Happy holidays, everybody. I know it’s not a happy holiday. But he was pure light … If you didn’t know him, you saw it. Let’s honor him and think about him and send love to one another.”
Boss worked alongside DeGeneres as the in-house DJ on her daytime talk show from 2014 until its conclusion. He became a co-executive producer of the program in 2020.
The Step Up 3D actor is survived by his wife, Allison Holker, whom he wed in December 2013. After their nuptials, Boss adopted her daughter from a previous relationship, Weslie, now 14. The couple went on to welcome son Maddox, 6, and daughter Zaia, 3.
Holker, 34, returned to social media on Wednesday, December 21, after previously addressing her husband’s death in an emotional statement. “My ONE and ONLY Oh how my heart aches. We miss you so much,” she captioned an Instagram selfie with Boss.
One week prior, the Dancing With the Stars alum mourned her family’s loss while honoring the “legacy” Boss left behind. “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 said on December 14, concluding: “Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
