Ellen DeGeneres tears up in emotional video honoring Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss

Ellen DeGeneres struggled to hold back tears as she shared an emotional video on Friday, paying another heartfelt tribute to her late friend, DJ Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss. 

The musician and dancer died by suicide earlier this month at age 40, and Ellen, 64, began her video by telling fans: ‘The last 11 days have been really tough for everyone.’

She added: ‘Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it, and we’ll never make sense of it.’ 

Ellen DeGeneres tears up in emotional video honoring Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss after his suicide age 40: ‘Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it, and we’ll never make sense of it’

Ellen – who appeared to be filming in her garden in Montecito, California – added that to honor him, ‘the best thing we can do is to laugh and hug each other and play games and dance and sing… the things he loved to do.’

‘It seems impossible, but that’s how we honor him, she continued. 

‘And hug each other and tell each other we love each other and let people know we’re there for them and check in with people.’

The video comes after his widow Allison Holker broke her silence on the shocking death earlier this week. 

Following the devastating news on Dec. 13, Ellen first shared a clip with fans that highlighted the dancer’s work on her talk show. 

Deep breaths: Ellen was overcome with emotion as she started her video to fans

Honoring him: Ellen paid tribute on Fridayto her late her late friend, DJ, dancer and co-executive producer Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss in a loving video that original aired on her talk show

At the start, DeGeneres said she wanted to give special attention to Boss, rather than showing another compilation of clips from her celebrity guests.

‘I’m supposed to be throwing to a montage right now of some of our favorite celebrity moments, but I’m not gonna do that,’ she began.

‘Over a decade ago, I met someone who changed my life — and our show. And I’m talking about you tWitch. Come here,’ she said as a seemingly surprised and bashful Boss walked over to her guest chair from his DJ booth at the side of the stage.

They shared a sweet hug, and then she handed him a preparatory tissue. ‘It’s gonna get ya,’ she said. 

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Loved ones: The video comes after his widow Allison Holker broke her silence on the shocking death earlier this week

Saying goodbye: Boss, who died by suicide on Tuesday at age 40, appeared in the clip, which aired in the final week of DeGeneres’ talk show

Surprise: ‘Over a decade ago, I met someone who changed my life — and our show. And I’m talking about you tWitch. Come here,’ she said as a seemingly surprised and bashful Boss walked over to her guest chair from his DJ booth at the side of the stage

Family: ‘So, I love you so much, and it’s been an emotional week,’ she said, before noting that his mother and best friend were in the audience and saying it was just a ‘coincidence’

‘So, I love you so much, and it’s been an emotional week,’ she said, before noting that his mother and best friend were in the audience and saying it was just a ‘coincidence’ that the tribute coincided with them visiting.

In a halting, emotional speech, she mentioned the ‘little tiny moments’ the two would share backstage, where they could sing and dance together.

‘You always make me smile and laugh,’ she said, before cutting to the original video.

The video aired during the show included an interview Ellen gave in which she spoke about what tWitch meant to her.

‘Well, I don’t want to say goodbye,’ was all she could say as her eyes welled up with tears.

Hard words: The video aired during the show included an interview Ellen gave in which she spoke about what tWitch meant to her. ‘Well, I don’t want to say goodbye,’ was all she could say as her eyes welled up with tears

Dance contest: She cut back to season eight of her talk show, when she wanted to put on a dance for her audience, so the producers of So You Think You Can Dance put her in touch with Boss, who was a former contestant and runner-up on the show from 2008

Hard work: ‘It was like a crash course in getting to know each other,’ she said over footage of the two practicing their dance steps

She cut back to season eight of her talk show, when she wanted to put on a dance for her audience, so the producers of So You Think You Can Dance put her in touch with Boss, who was a former contestant and runner-up on the show from 2008.

‘It was like a crash course in getting to know each other,’ she said over footage of the two practicing their dance steps.

She added that he was ‘so patient with me.’ 

After the two pulled off their dance successfully, he returned later as a guest DJ and dancer, and Boss later became her official co-host and co-executive producer starting in 2014. 

In the family: After the two pulled off their dance successfully, he returned later as a guest DJ and dancer, and Boss later became her official co-host and co-executive producer starting in 2014

Having a laugh: In one joyous clip, Boss brought his young son Maddox, now six, onto the stage and held him in the air as they wore matching outfits. ‘That’s a cute little son of a tWitch, I’ll tell you that,’ Ellen joked

In one joyous clip, Boss brought his young son Maddox, now six, onto the stage and held him in the air as they wore matching outfits.

‘That’s a cute little son of a tWitch, I’ll tell you that,’ Ellen joked. 

One particularly hilarious clip showed Boss blindfolded with a wide-eyed mask as he had to eat some chocolate candy hands-free while trying to describe it to an also-blindfolded Allison Janney.

The musician didn’t appear as please in a funny clip from a segment in which Ellen had to hold him down as he got his legs waxed on camera.

‘Whenever he’s not here for whatever reason, it’s just different,’ Ellen said back in her interview, noting that she would always look over to him for reactions while filming.

‘We have this connection, and he makes me laugh,’ she said. ‘I love you tWitch.’

Ouch! The musician didn’t appear as please in a funny clip from a segment in which Ellen had to hold him down as he got his legs waxed on camera

Sweet: DeGeneres added that the two would say they loved each other ‘every day when we say goodbye.’ ‘He says, “Love you much,” and I say, “Love you.” So he’s never gonna be out of my life. He’s always a part of my life,’ she added

DeGeneres added that the two would say they loved each other ‘every day when we say goodbye.’ 

‘He says, “Love you much,” and I say, “Love you.” So he’s never gonna be out of my life. He’s always a part of my life,’ she added. 

The video concluded by returning to the footage of Ellen serenading Boss on stage.

‘I love you,’ she said as she held his hand, before a stagehand presented the DJ with a framed black-and-white photo of the two photographed from behind as they walked off stage with their arms wrapped around each other.

‘I love you like crazy,’ she reiterated. 

Saying goodbye: The video concluded by returning to the footage of Ellen serenading Boss on stage. ‘I love you,’ she said as she held his hand as a stagehand gave him a photo of the two walking off stage

Moving: ‘I came her to dance one time,’ he said with tears in his eyes. ‘And now I’ve gained a family. I’ve gotten married. We’ve had more kids on the show. ‘Whether I was a real DJ or not, I always felt at home’

Boss tried to say ‘I love you’ back, but his voice got too choked up.

‘I love the family that we’ve gained here. And something that I’ll always remember is that you gave me a place where I can just be myself. 

‘I came her to dance one time,’ he continued. ‘And now I’ve gained a family. I’ve gotten married. We’ve had more kids on the show.

‘Whether I was a real DJ or not, I always felt at home. And I thank you for that Ellen,’ he said with emotion rippling through his voice, before adding thanks to the show’s crew.

‘We love you so much. You’re a fake DJ, but a real good man,’ DeGeneres concluded, which got a hearty laugh out of Boss. 

Boss died on Tuesday after shooting himself in the head in his room at the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, California.

The tragedy came only three days after the dancer celebrated his ninth wedding anniversary with his wife Allison. 

In addition to his wife, Boss is survived by his son Maddox, six; daughter Zaia, three; and stepdaughter Weslie, 14.

Heartbreaking: Boss died Tuesday after shooting himself in the head in his room at the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, California. The tragedy came only three days after the dancer celebrated his ninth wedding anniversary with his wife Allison (pictured)

Left behind: In addition to his wife, Boss is survived by his son Maddox, six; daughter Zaia, three; and stepdaughter Weslie, 14