Stephen Boss, a charismatic hip-hop dancer and television personality known as tWitch who came to popularity on 'So You Think You Can Dance' before becoming a regular on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' his away in a Los Angeles hotel room on Tuesday. He was 40.
Per NY Times, the office of the Los Angeles County medical examiner deemed the death a suicide.
Stephen Boss Alias Dj 'tWitch' Dies
Boss began 'So You Think You Can Dance' in 2008 as a 25-year-old with a flair for popping - a hip-hop dance technique that emphasizes isolating sections of the body with a staccato beat - and the ability to make the judges laugh with his facial expressions and antics.
Soon, he was dancing unknown genres such as the waltz and the tango on national television, and he ended the fourth season of the competition in second place. Later in the series, Boss did a hip-hop duet with Ellen DeGeneres, depicting him as a therapist in a sweater vest and her as his client, which shaped the remainder of his career.
Boss spent over a decade with 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' as a DJ, guest host, and, finally, executive producer. He was a vivacious TV personality who wore fedoras and frequently burst into dancing.
"I relied on him to glance over and make ridiculous jokes," DeGeneres remarked in an episode of the show's last season, which aired this year. In a statement released on Wednesday, Ellen DeGeneres expressed "heartbreak" at Boss's passing, describing him as "pure love and light."
Stephen Laurel Boss was born in Montgomery, Alabama on September 29, 1982 to parents Connie Boss Alexander and Sandford Rose. The DJ began dancing as a teenager and received the moniker 'tWitch' as a result of his inability to remain still in school or church.
DJ tWitch Jouney in Ellen DeGeneres Show
Per People, he stated in interviews that he would have joined the Navy had he not been picked for 'So You Think You Can Dance.' But the show adored him, and for years he returned to judge and dance with fresh hopefuls.
Also originating from the reality show was Boss's marriage. After dancing with modern dancer Allison Holker, who had performed in Season 2, at the end of a subsequent season's celebration, they became inseparable. In 2014, Boss appeared as a guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In 2020, he was upgraded to co-executive producer position after becoming a constant presence on the show.
Allison and the late celebrity previously co-hosted Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. He also starred in other high-profile films and television programs, such as 'Magic Mike XXL', 'Modern Family', and 'Step Up: All In'.
Off-screen, Boss regularly shared dancing videos on social media with his wife Allison, who also competed on SYTYCD. Their children frequently joined the couple in their dancing video uploads. His wife Allison and children Zaia, 3, Maddox, 6, and Weslie, 14, survive him.
Boss was a guest DJ on 'Ellen' in 2013 before becoming a regular on the show the following year. Every installment of the show began with his distinctive dancing routine, which energized the studio audience.
In 2014, Boss told USA TODAY that the greatest obstacle while pursuing fame was "Keeping a dream's resiliency alive requires years and years and years. J. Lo is our representative. That is the procedure. She used to be a Fly Girl in the 1990s. You can obtain an excellent position, but you must continue to work. That is the proper procedure."
Boss told Us Weekly that the program has "some problems to address, but from my perspective and from numerous others, there has been love. I'll leave it at that until a time when we can discuss the matter more openly." In the last broadcast of her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres honored the guy who "changed my life and our program." DeGeneres is one among the celebrities who memorialized Boss on social media.
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