Stars respond to Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' death: 'No words, shocked and deeply saddened'

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Celebrities are responding to the shocking death of dancer/deejay Stephen 'tWitch' Boss. The 40-year-old was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room on Wednesday. The cause of death was confirmed by authorities to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Celebrities are stunned by his passing as the affable TV personality was just celebrating his ninth wedding anniversary with his wife and fellow dancer Allison Holker. The couple each posted joyous pictures on their social media accounts last week. They also regularly posted videos dancing together to various popular songs.

Boss worked with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres from 2014 to 2022. She says she is "heartbroken" by his passing. In a video tribute to tWitch after The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended in May, she remembers how they first met.

"It was like a crash course in getting to know each other ... and he was so patient with me," she said in the video. "We just bonded over learning to dance together."

In her Instagram post, DeGeneres said, "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."

His Magic Mike XXL co-star Channing Tatum posted about the loss on his Instagram account. The two shared a pivotal dance scene in the film, where they had to mirror each other's moves.

"I have no words," Tatum said in his post. "There aren't any. My head or heart cannot understand this. There is just so much... i don't know where to begin. I love you. I'll see you again my friend. Until then."

Michelle Obama posted a picture of Boss with his wife, Allison Holker, and the couple's three children. She said she got to know him through her Let's Move initiative and from visits to The Ellen Show over the years.

Obama posted, "Stephen was an incredible force-someone who radiated kindness and positivity, and make sure that people around him could feel it, too. We felt his spirit in every dance, every DJ set, every piece of creativity that he brought to life. My heart goes out to his wife, Allison, and their three children, Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia."

On her post, she also shared that help for those with suicidal thoughts can be found by calling 988.

Jennifer Lopez worked with Boss on her reality competition show World of Dance which started in 2017. Another popular dance-based reality show, So You Think You Can Dance, brought him to national prominence as a contestant.

She posted on her Instagram account, "Twitch was such a light and a beautiful soul. Shocked and deeply saddened."

Questlove also said he was speechless. He reminded his followers that you never know what people are going through.

"May we all find peace of mind in our everyday lives. Everyday is a winding road and you just may never know who is on the edge. A lot of us can't process emotions and how to deal with it."

He added: "Take time out for yourselves if you feel like you're on the edge (I know most of us are confused when it comes to darker emotions like sadness and anger--both healthy to express but becomes problematic when your solution is to figure out how to get rid of the feelings that don't feel good to you."

Jada Pinkett, Loni Love and Adam Lambert also expressed their shock and sorrow.

"We had a lot of good times on the set of Magic Mike, Pinkett said on Instagram. "He was so sweet, kind and generous."

Comedian Loni Love mourned him on social media as well, posting video from his 40th birthday party, saying "This is devastating."

And Adam Lambert shared that he remembered tWitch as, "Always the most genuine and down to earth humble energy. Sending his family my deepest sympathies."