As Ellen DeGeneres and others in the entertainment world mourned the death of Stephen “tWitch” Boss, her show’s amiable DJ and co-executive producer, it also emerged that his loss points to a disturbing U.S. statistic related to suicide.
A preliminary autopsy report shows that Boss, 40, was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Daily Beast and Los Angeles Times reported. This news about the dancer, husband and father of three comes at a time when public health officials have documented an alarming increase in the rate of firearm suicides in recent years.
In 2021, 26,320 firearm suicides occurred in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. That’s an increase of 8.3% from the year before, and the highest number of gun-related suicides since 1990.
Firearm suicides also accounted for 55% of all suicides in the United States in 2021, with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) reporting that suicide, overall, remains a major public health issue. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
In the national debate about gun violence, Harvard Public Health also noted that far more people kill themselves with guns than are killed by guns, with the CDC comparing the 26,320 firearm-related suicides in 2021 to the 20,966 homicides caused by guns.
The AFSP offered up another concerning reality about guns and suicide: The vast majority of suicide attempts using a firearm — 85 to 90% — are fatal. That’s one reason that suicide prevention experts say it’s crucial to get guns out of the homes of people who’ve expressed suicidal thoughts.
“Temporarily removing lethal means from someone in suicidal crisis greatly reduces the likelihood of that person dying by suicide, because it gives at-risk individuals something they crucially need: Time,” according to the AFSP.
Suicide prevention experts also correct a common misunderstanding about suicide: Most people in crisis won’t simply find another way to kill themselves if, for example, they’re blocked from access to a gun or from jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Removing access to firearms and other lethal means allows time for both the moment of intense suicidal crisis to pass, and for someone to intervene with potentially lifesaving mental health support and resources,” the AFSP also said.
Not a lot is known about the events leading to Boss’ death or how he obtained the weapon reportedly used in his death. Suicide prevention experts say there usually is never one reason that a person takes his own life.
On Monday, Boss posted one final time on Instagram: A “Holliday Sunday Funday Dance” video of him and his wife, Allison Holker Boss, dancing to Alicia Keys in front of their Christmas tree. Several days earlier, he had shared a photo of him, his wife and their three children decorating their Christmas tree.
You never know what is happening for people. Tell those that you love, that you love them, check in on the smiling ones, be Kind-Forward in the world
Stephen Twitch Boss
#RIPTwitch #kindforward pic.twitter.com/xdh3Zfz9Ra
— Danica Woolley –
(@Daily_Danica) December 14, 2022
(@Daily_Danica) TMZ and the Los Angeles Times reported that he had checked into Rodeway Inn, near his Los Angeles home, on Monday.
That’s where he was found on Tuesday morning by staff who had entered his room and found blood, the Times reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:25 a.m. Tuesday. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
Prior to the discovery of Boss’ body, his wife, Allison Holker Boss, had run into a Los Angeles police station Tuesday, “frantic” because she said he had left home without his car, which was out of character, TMZ said.
Holker Boss confirmed her husband’s death in a statement shared with the media. The couple had celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary days earlier.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” Holder Boss said. “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.”
DeGeneres also paid tribute to Boss, who had competed on “So You Think You Can Dance” and appeared in “Magic Mike XXL.”
The former daytime talk-show host issued a statement in which she said: “I’m heartbroken. 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.”
I’m heartbroken. 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. pic.twitter.com/lW8Q5HZonx
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 14, 2022
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Boss earned his nickname as a child when he couldn’t sit still, CNN reported. He studied dance performance at Southern Union State Community College and Chapman University. He was a semifinalist on MTV’s “The Wade Robson Project” and a runner-up on the television talent competition “Star Search.”
Becoming a runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2008 marked the beginning of his rise to fame and he would later return to serve as a judge for the dance competition, CNN said.
DeGeneres hired him to DJ her popular show in 2014, a job he held until the show went off the air this year. Boss also became co-executive producer of the show.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or by going to 988lifeline.org.You can also text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.