(CNN) — Social media was flooded Wednesday with tributes to Stephen “tWitch” Boss. Everyone from Viola Davis and Channing Tatum to Michelle Obama spoke fondly of the dancer, actor and DJ. They just wanted to give back a bit of the kindness and love that Boss gave to the world.
Boss, a dancer and actor who became a television mainstay as a DJ and co-executive producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” committed suicide Tuesday at age 40.
His tragic death has drawn public shock, expressions of grief and confusion given the joy Boss seemed to exude at work.
The DJ, who rose to fame on the show “So You Think You Can Dance” and later starred in projects like Disney+’s “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” often shared videos of himself dancing with his wife, fellow professional dancer Allison Holker. Boss, as well as happy moments with his three children.
Those who knew him closely confirmed that Boss was as good a person in his private life as he appeared to be in public.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear that someone who brought such joy wherever she went, suffered so much behind closed doors,” Justin Timberlake wrote in a tribute on Instagram. “I met [Boss] for over 20 years by the dance community; it always illuminated everything and everyone. You never know what a person is going through,” he added.
Actress and dancer Jade Chynoweth recalled how Boss worked to encourage other young performers.
“All I can say is that EVERY person I met had their lives changed for the better. That’s why I had to put it out there, to let the world know the gravity of this loss,” Chynoweth wrote.
“Seeing my entire industry and their loved ones sharing how much he impacted our lives. He inspired so many young dancers with his charisma, talent, kindness, intelligence, but most of all he made you feel recognized,” he wrote. “The warmth and support he gave 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 added.
Shaun King, author and activist, shared on his Instagram that Boss “was a huge supporter of our movement for racial justice.”
“He spoke out against police violence and used his platform wisely however he could,” King wrote. “After the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor asked many of us for advice on how to talk to Ellen about it and how she could use her show to talk about it. My wife and I loved her joy. And the dance. And the energy”.
Boss led by example.
In what would be one of his last interviews, Boss told E! that “no act of kindness is too small”.
“You don’t have to have a particular status or anything like that to actually perform a kind act and have it dominate,” she said at the Industry Dance Awards in October. “I think sometimes a lot of people think too much about helping others when they’re like ‘nah, you can start right now.'”
He and Holker Boss have been credited for helping their social media followers get through the toughest time of the pandemic with lively quarantine dance videos.
Boss spoke to Yahoo in April 2021 about how they tried to get through those difficult months.
“We’ve definitely used dance as a vehicle to keep ourselves sane, healthy, motivated and excited to get up every day,” Boss said.
In public, there seemed to be no sign that Boss was having any difficulties. He was often optimistic, even when he talked about difficult times.
In a 2017 conversation on the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast,” Boss talked about using dance to persevere through challenges.
“When you feel good, you dance,” Boss said. “No matter what, life will go on.”
— How to get help for someone who might commit suicide
Call 1-800-273-8255 or text “talk” to 741741 (or 988 as of July 16, 2022) in the United States to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Provides free and confidential assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for people in suicidal or distressed crises. You can learn more about their services here, including their guide on what to do if you see suicidal signs on social media.
You can also call 1-800-273-8255 to talk to someone about how you can help someone in crisis. Call 1-866-488-7386 for the Trevor Lifeline, a suicide prevention counseling service for the LGBTQ community.
For assistance outside of the US, the International Association for Suicide Prevention provides a global directory of resources and international hotlines. You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide.
See here the suicide care and prevention lines in Latin America and Spain.
