The death of her close friend and colleague, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, has caused Ellen DeGeneres to struggle greatly.
Almost two weeks after the 40-year-old DJ’s unexpected death, the former talk show presenter posted a tearful homage to him on her social media sites on Friday.
In the 90-second video, which appeared to be taken in the backyard of her California home, DeGeneres stated, “The past 11 days have been extremely difficult for everyone.”
“Everyone is in anguish and attempting to comprehend it. We’ll never understand it,” she lamented further. “The holidays are difficult anyway, but to celebrate ‘tWitch,’ the best thing we can do is to laugh, hug, play games, dance, and sing. This is how we honor him. We engage in the activities that he cherished.”
While fighting back tears, the comic continued, “It’s difficult. Although it seems impossible, this is how we respect him. We embrace each other, express our affection for one another, and let them know we are there for them. Check on individuals.”
“Happy holidays to everyone,” she continued, before clarifying: “It’s not a happy holiday, but like everyone in the comments remarked, he was pure light. If you knew him, you would have known this. Even if you did not know him, you could tell. Let’s commemorate him, reflect on him, and send each other love.”
Beginning in 2014, Boss served as a DJ on Ellen DeGeneres’s daytime talk show. In 2020, he was promoted to executive producer and remained on the show until its conclusion this past spring.
The famous DJ stood with DeGeneres after charges that her talk show was a “toxic” workplace damaged her public image.
Tuesday of last week, Boss was discovered dead in a Los Angeles motel room; an autopsy confirmed that he had shot himself in the head.
Last week, DeGeneres first commented on Boss’ passing.
She announced in a statement last Tuesday evening, “I’m heartbroken.” “tWitch was love and light incarnate. He was a member of my family, and I cherished him with all my heart. He will be missed. Please extend your love and support to [husband’s wife] Allison and his three gorgeous children, Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.”
Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or the Crisis Text Line at 741741.