Ellen DeGeneres has paid tribute to Stephen “tWitch” Boss, following his death at the age of 40.
Stephen was the resident DJ and sometimes stand-in presenter on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which he joined in 2014. He was later promoted to co-executive producer in 2020 and remained on the US daytime talk show until it ended earlier this year.
In a post shared on Twitter on Wednesday evening, Ellen said she was “heartbroken” over the news of his death.
“I’m heartbroken,” she wrote. “tWitch was pure love and light.
“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.”
In a statement, tWitch’s wife said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us.
“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 Los Angeles Police Department told the BBC that its West Valley Division officers responded to an “ambulance death investigation” radio call at a motel on Ventura Boulevard on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner has confirmed the cause of death was suicide.
Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, also paid tribute on Twitter, describing Stephen as “a great guy”.
Stephen regularly posted dance videos on TikTok with his wife, who is also a professional dancer, with their children making guest appearances.
In his last Instagram post shared on Monday, Stephen shared a video of himself dancing with Allison to Alicia Keys’ Christmas album.
The Ellen Degeneres Show aired its final episode in May and included guest appearances from Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink.
The show first premiered in 2003 and won multiple Emmy awards during a run that saw more than 3,000 episodes recorded.
Ellen announced last year that she was stepping down from the TV show after controversy over an alleged toxic workplace environment.
In 2020, she apologised to staff after an internal review by Warner Bros found “deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management”.
The review was launched after reports of a toxic environment on the programme but Ellen later denied that it was the reason she decided to end the show.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.