Ellen DeGeneres' Gorilla Conservation Campus Honors "Wonderful Friend" Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Stephen "tWitch" Boss, who died by on Dec. 13 at the age of 40, was memorialized with tree-planting and plaque at the Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. See the touching tribute.

By Gabrielle Chung Feb 09, 2023 12:55 AMTags
Watch: Ellen DeGeneres Remembers "tWitch" in Touching Tribute

Stephen "tWitch" Boss' legacy will live on.

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda announced on Feb. 6 that a tree was planted on conservation grounds in honor of the late dancer, who also served as a DJ and co-executive producer on the comedian's eponymous talk show.  As a tribute, the organization also marked the tree with a plaque reading: "In memory of Stephen 'tWitch' Boss and the light he brought to the world."

"As we celebrated the one year anniversary of our Ellen Campus this past week, we took a moment to recognize a very special person who left us too soon," an Instagram post from the fund read. "tWitch brought light to so many and was a wonderful friend to @ellendegeneres. In his honor we planted this tree so he will be forever remembered on the campus."

Boss died by suicide on Dec. 13 at the age of 40. In the wake of his passing, DeGeneres remembered all the "love and laughter I had with tWitch."

"He brought so much joy to my life," she wrote in a Dec. 15 Instagram post. "I know he brought joy to yours too."

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Stephen "tWitch" Boss & Allison Holker's Family Album

Later that month, the 65-year-old shared how Boss' death had been "really tough for everyone."

 

Instagram

"I think the best thing that we can do is to laugh and hug each other and play games and dance and sing," DeGeneres captioned a Dec. 23 post. "That's the way we honor him. We do the things that he loved to do, which is dancing. He loved music. He loved games."

Boss first joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014 as a DJ. He was made co-executive producer in 2020, two years before the show ended, and occasionally filled in for DeGeneres as guest host.

Mike Rozman/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

The So You Can Think You Can Dance alum is survived by friends and family, including wife Allison Holker and and and kids Weslie, 14, Maddox, 6, and Zaia, 3.

"Stephen lit up every room he stepped into," Holker said in a statement to E! News following Boss' death. "He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him."

She 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."

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