A Tribute to “The End of Stephen” Boss – A Memories With His Father and Your Son’s Dearest
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.
She shared that Stephen had left her, and that it was with the hardest of hearts. “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.”
He left a legacy that will continue to be felt. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We don’t want the attention of anyone, especially our three children.
“I’m heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. I loved him very much and he was my family. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children – Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia,” Ellen DeGeneres stated on Twitter, alongside a photo of the two embracing in a hug backstage.
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He majored in Dance Performance at Southern Union State Community College and Chapman University after graduating from Lee High School.
Six years ago he spoke with author and former football player Lewis Howes for the latter’s podcast and talked about his background, including being raised by a single mother and how his relationship with his absentee father helped shape him.
Boss said he has always been that type of person who wont tell him what to do. I told my father that I was joining the dance team while he was in the parking lot. I was like ‘Oh, that means I am really supposed to do this at this time,’ because he said he’s needing shows and money to get supplies.
Becoming a runner up on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2008 marked the beginning of his rise to fame and he would later return to serve as a judge for the dance competition.
Lassner described the positive impact of Boss, who started working on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2014 as a DJ and later became the co-executive producer of the former talk show.
“We shared a dance at the wrap party of that season of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and we have been together ever since,” Boss told People in February.
There was nothing in the way of dialogue, a conversation or a first hangout. Literally, we danced and we were together holding hands the very next day,” Holker Boss added. “And we never looked back.”
Boss, Kelly, and the hip hop nutcracker: Who is the greatest dancer? How great was Gene Kelly, the best dancer of all time?
The dancer-DJ is featured in “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” a Disney+ film released this year. He was both a runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance” and a judge on season 17 of the show.
My opinion is that Gene Kelly was the greatest of all time. Gene Kelly, because he’s a guy’s guy. I love Fred Astaire, but he was very smooth. In an interview with the Associated Press in 2014, Boss said he was so classy. Gene Kelly is just like somebody’s father, who just decided to get up off the couch and dance around and clean the kitchen.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142813117/stephen-twitch-boss-ellen-shows-dancing-dj-dies
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“I have no words,” he said. May his family find solace in this dark time. In our daily lives, may we find peace of mind. Everyday is a winding road “You might never know who is on the edge,” Questlove said.
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with a trained counselor or visit the Lifeline site.
Those who paid tribute to him on Wednesday only talked about his professional accomplishments, ignoring the man who touched so many lives.
Mary Murphy, judge and choreographer from the dance competition series, shared in a statement to CNN that her “soul is crying and aches on a cellular level.”
Murphy shared that the first time she met Boss, “there was something about him. I think it’s called twinkle eye because his eyes lit up so much. He lit up the stage with his smile every time he stepped on it.
She remembered how difficult it was for him to get on the show and how he nailed his solo on the third try out. Murphy said it was “mesmerizing and a defining moment in Twitch’s dance career.”
It was heartbreaking to hear that someone who brought so much joy to a room was hurting behind closed doors, wrote singer-pianist Justin Timberlake in a tribute. “I’ve known [Boss] for over 20 years through the dance community – he always lit everything and everyone up. You don’t know what they are going through.
In his statement, Lythgoe wrote that Boss was a man who fought his way through adversity and became an inspiration to many people who watched his journey.
“This tragic, painful loss of such a radiant, inimitable talent and beloved friend is immeasurable beyond words, and we grieve alongside his family, loved ones and fans,” the statement said.
A statement from Fox Entertainment, 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions shared with CNN said Boss would always be remembered for “the light and joy he brought into our lives and into the hearts of so many.”
Maksim Chmerkovskiy, his brother, is at a loss for words and just wants to remember the good times.
Billy Porter asked readers on Instagram to “please check on your friends. They were both the strong ones and the happy ones. We never know what folks are going thru.”
As many others did, singer-songwriter Ciara shared a clip of herself dancing alongside Boss (for Ciara’s, it was backstage at the “Ellen” show). She wrote in the caption that she was “crushed to hear the news” of his passing.
The actor wrote on his verified account, “I spent an afternoon with him filming Ben’s Workshop and I was so impressed with him and Allison’s easy kindness and playfulness with the kids we filmed with.”
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His tragic death has stirred public shock, expressions of grief and confusion about how it was possible given the joy Boss seemed to exude in his work.
He has changed the lives of every single person he has had the pleasure of meeting. That’s why I had to post, so that the world knows the gravity of this loss,” Chynoweth wrote.
His loved ones were telling how much he affected their lives. He Inspired so many young dancers with his charisma, talent, kindness, intelligence, but most of all made you feel seen,” she wrote. “The warmth and support he gave to me and so many others made us believe in ourselves. He has been my idol and friend and it hurts to know that the love he made others feel masked his true emotions.”
“He spoke out against police violence and used his platform in smart ways as he could,” King wrote. He wanted to speak with Ellen about the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor but he was not sure how to do it. My wife and I were so happy for him. And dancing. And energy.
He stated at the Industry Dance Awards that you don’t have to be a special status to commit a kind act. “I think sometimes a lot of people put a lot of precedence on helping others when it’s just like nah, you can start right now.”
He and Holker Boss were credited with helping their followers on social media make it through the height of the pandemic with spirited quarantine dance videos.
“So many people on social media are posting pictures of themselves with Twitch. Talking about their close friendships with him,” Lassner began his post alongside a photo of Boss smiling. “Talking about the texts they exchanged with him just last week. They talk about the time they had with him. The thing is, it is all true. It is all real.
What Will I Do next? “Let Me Go, and I Will Make Sure to Tell ya’s Mom,” Lassner wrote
“There was a heavy burden that none of us realized he was carrying. He must have been so tired,” he wrote. “But we didn’t know because he never wanted it to be about him. Ever. We can either spend the whole day pondering why and how, or never be satisfied with the answers we imagine. To be grateful for the gift he gave us, we need to let go of his flame.
Light still burns in us. Lassner wrote, “All of us.” “Let’s try and share that light with the people we love. It’s really all we can do. That is enough. It is more than enough.