How Late Dancer Stephen 'tWitch' Boss Got His Nickname

Late dancer Stephen Boss actually gave himself the nickname "tWitch."

The 40-year-old Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ died by suicide on Tuesday, December 13, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to Newsweek.

The following day, his wife of nine years—fellow dancer Allison Holker—shared an emotional statement.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us," the 34-year-old told People.

"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."

The Dancing With the Stars pro added: "To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact 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 ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children."

"Stephen, we love you, we miss you," she concluded. "And I will always save the last dance for you."

Boss is survived by Holker and their three children, daughters Weslie, 14, and Zaia, 3, and son Maddox, 6.

In an interview with AL.com in July 2013, Boss revealed "tWitch" was actually the name he gave his old car.

"I took (the name) tWitch when I was about 20 years old because that was when I first started dancing, going places and teaching dance, and a lot of my dance knowledge and a lot of my dance thoughts took place in that car," the Alabama native told the outlet.

"Driving from place to place, whether it was to Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Bessemer, Birmingham, whatever, I'd choreograph in the car."

Boss described the 1992 Toyota Paseo as "super raggedy," noting that it "would accelerate on its own sometimes."

Boss shot to fame as a contestant on MTV's The Wade Robson Project and was later a runner-up on Star Search. In 2008, he competed on the hit reality series So You Think You Can Dance, where he finished in second place. After reappearing on the program as an all-star, he became a judge when the show returned in 2022.

In 2014, Boss was a guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was eventually made permanent. By 2020, he was a co-executive producer of the talk show until its last episode, which aired in May 2022.

Additionally, Boss made appearances in movies including Hairspray, Magic Mike XXL and Step Up: All In, as well as television shows like Modern Family.

On Wednesday, Holker posted on Instagram for the first time since her husband's death.

"My ONE and ONLY Oh how my heart aches," she captioned a selfie with Boss. "We miss you so much."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

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