Stephen “tWitch” Boss, a So You Think You Can Dance judge and the DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died. He was 40.
The television host’s death was confirmed by his wife, Allison Holker, in a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday. A cause of death was not provided in her statement, but TMZ has reported that Boss died by suicide.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband, Stephen, has left us,” Holker told the outlet. “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.”
Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss
“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt,” she added. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children.”
Holker, who co-hosted the Disney+ series Disney Fairy Tale Weddings with her husband, concluded, “Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.’
Boss first rose to stardom as a professional dancer in 2003, when he became a semifinalist on the MTV dance competition The Wade Robson Project and later competed on the talent show Star Search. His talent was recognized even further when he starred on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, becoming a runner-up alongside series winner Joshua Allen.
The hip-hop dancer returned to the series over the years as an All Star, a mentor, and most recently a judge in 2022. When he was a season 12 mentor in 2015, Boss wrote weekly blog posts about the contestants for EW.
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss has died at 40.
Boss started out as a guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014, but he quickly became a permanent fixture on the daytime talk show. Acting as a mood-maker, guest host, and friend to regular host Ellen DeGeneres, Boss starred on the series for eight years, serving as a co-executive producer for the last two until its final episode in 2022. In addition to his gig on The Ellen Show, Boss was an announcer on DeGeneres’ NBC game show Ellen’s Game of Games, which ran for four seasons from 2017 to 2021.
