Trigger Warning: The following story contains mentions of suicide.
Stephen “tWitch” Boss, famed DJ, dancer and host, has died at the age of 40.
According to TMZ, tWitch’s wife, Allison Holker, frantically “ran” into an LAPD station on Tuesday, claiming that her husband had left home without his car, which caused her to be concerned.
Around 11:15 a.m., paramedics reportedly received a call for a medical emergency at an LA hotel, where tWitch was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
tWitch leaves behind wife Allison and children Weslie, Maddox and Zaia. Just last weekend, Allison and tWitch had celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary.
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“Stephen lit up every room he stepped into,” Allison told TMZ. “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,” she continued. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory.”
tWitch was a DJ on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show from 2014 until the show wrapped in May 2022, and in 2020, he became an executive producer on the show as well. He continued on with Ellen, working as an announcer on Ellen’s Game of Games show until 2021.
Upon hearing the news of her friend’s death, Ellen took to social media, telling fans she was “heartbroken.”
“ … tWitch was pure love and light,” she continued. “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.”
Before appearing on Ellen, tWitch competed in 2008 on So You Think You Can Dance, where he was a runner-up during the shows fourth season. tWitch met Allison while they were both competing on the All-Star season of ‘SYTYCD’, and tWitch went on to return to the show as a judge-– most recently in 2022.
The ‘SYTYCD’ official Instagram page posted a tribute to tWitch on Wednesday, calling his death a “tragic, painful loss.”
“We will always remember Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss for the light and joy he brought into our lives and into the hearts of so many,” the statement read. “This tragic, painful loss of a such a radiant, inimitable talent and beloved friend is immeasurable beyond words, and we grieve alongside his family, loved one and fans. tWitch, we will miss you dearly.”
In addition to appearing in the “Step Up” movie franchise and “Magic Mike XXL,” tWitch hosted several reality shows over the years, including 2022’s The Real Dirty Dancing, Clash of the Cover Bands, and Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings on Disney+–- the latter of which he co-hosted with his wife.
Just two days ago, Allison and tWitch posted a fun video of themselves dancing together to a Christmas song. The post currently has over 425,000 likes and hundreds of comments of condolences.
(Photos: Instagram)
15 Responses
It is so tragic and just a sad day when a father of three young kids, an amazing wife, a successful career doing what he loves… who is seemingly such a bright light, takes this way out. But I get it. I hope he is at peace, which is likely all he wanted and didn’t know any other way out in the moment. May all the love be with his family, friends, and colleagues. I’ve said this before but it’s just so true- depression and other mental health issues do not discriminate and just because you have never experienced it, doesn’t mean you or a loved one will not experience it at some point. I’ve had battles with my own mental illness and consider myself very lucky to have a strong support system that knows the signs and that so far, I have always known where to go and what to do before I get to that hopeless dark and isolating point- but sometimes for some, it’s just not enough. It is most definitely a permanent solution to a temporary/treatable problem, but let’s not call it selfish. There is literally something that clicks in the brain that tells you, that there is no other solution. Does it leave trauma for those left behind? Sure. But that person was feeling SO terrible that they would take their own life just to feel free of whatever plagued them- that says a lot. I’ll also say that mental health in this country is super flawed and it’s failing so many. Even with “great” insurance, I sometimes am waiting for a month or two to be seen by my psych doctor. There are all kinds of hoops to jump through, lack of adequate care, misdiagnoses, no beds in mental hospitals… I mean, I could go on and on. But the fact that the “great” USA is one of the worst countries for mental health while we spend SO much money on unnecessary things, is unacceptable to me- when SO many issues in this world, are a result of mental health failure.
This hurt the way no celeb death has hurt since Robin Williams. This man seemed like pure sunshine and my heart is broken for his wife and children. I hope he is at peace.
People please be kind to one another.
Will never understand him being so smart and having loving family why not GET HELP before being this selfish and putting such pain on the people he loved so much. Rest easy sweet soul ??
Of course your name is Karen
Depression and suicidal thoughts can happen to anyone no matter how smart they are, how good their family and life is, or how happy they seem. A lot of people struggle to reach out for help because they don’t want to be a burden to others or for them to see them differently because of it. Saying that it’s selfish is really just shaming to a person and only adds to the negative thoughts they already have about themselves. When someone is at their breaking point they are in an intense amount of pain and all they want is for it to stop and that’s when the intrusive suicidal thoughts take over.
Don’t just tell people to get help, be the help. Be a person that someone feels like they can reach out to.
I hope this helps you (and others) understand a little bit better.
Karen honey, sometimes depression rears it’s ugly head at a moment when it’s too late to “GET HELP”, loving family or not. Perhaps he seeked help when the depression was at its lowest and most innocent but this time the feeling was so intense that getting help was the farthest thing from his mind. The man had a gun, he obviously wasn’t rational enough to “get help” right then and there.
That’s the thing, people who don’t go through depression (minor or major) often think that the depressed person should have seeked help before resolving the issue themselves.
I just hope he is now able to rest in peace and I hope his family is able to eventually find peace with his passing!!
Go away. Your comment is selfish. You’re the one who is selfish labeling something that you clearly don’t understand.
I understand it plenty, I have depression.
It started out as minor due to my physical disability making me different than the other children I went to school with causing me to feel left out because i wasnt able to do what others did and this is when i seeked help but it obviously didn’t help because then my depression became major after my mother’s passing (for which i went through yet another year and a half of grief counseling) but the depression was so intense that it attributed to my MANY suicide attempts.
You will notice I said ATTEMPTS, but I found help in my family, my church and my faith and was able to finally realize that killing myself wasn’t the answer.
This is why I frown upon “professional help” because sometimes it helps and sometimes not…like in this case for which it obviously didn’t.
So per your request, no Tina I will not “go away”.
Pearl, I don’t think that Tina was talking to you. I think this was actually a comment to Karen because Karen made the dumb comment that Twitch was “selfish”.
I agree with everything you said. I have suffered with depression and anxiety for years and years. I can’t even count all of the therapists I’ve been to and the medication I’ve been on. People who haven’t experienced depression will never understand the feeling of shame, loneliness and hopelessness. I’m sorry that you know that feeling too. I am really happy that you have support and wish you nothing but happiness now & in the future!
I realize that now and I apologize, it’s just that when I saw a comment under mine and it wasn’t personalized for Karen, I assumed it was for me.
Again, Tina, im sorry.
Thank you Gemma
Sigh.
One more time for the Karens who weren’t listening the first 500 times.
When you’re in that state of mind, you truly believe, think, and feel that you’re a burden to the people in your life and that they’ll be better off without you. You won’t be continually disappointing them or causing them stress. That their life will be easier without having to deal with you. The problems caused by your mistakes or issues will stop for them. You 100% do not believe you will be devastating people and making their life worse. You think you are making things easier on them.
That is not being selfish.
Instead of flippantly calling it selfish and hurting people further, consider getting on your knees and thanking your lucky stars that you’re so mentally healthy that you don’t understand what it’s like to be in that place.
This one hurts. He appeared to be very happy, always smiling. It goes to show that you never really know the inner demons someone is facing. He clearly loved Allison and their beautiful children. My heart breaks for them. I was a huge Twitch fan both of his dancing and as a husband/father. R.I.P. Twitch, you will be missed and never forgotten.
I totally agree ?