Derek Hough Shares Sneak Peek Of Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' Memorial Service
By MLC on January 20, 2023 at 2:50 PM EST
Derek Hough is remembering his late friend Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
The “Dancing with the Stars” pro shared a sneak peek into the memorial service he attended for tWitch.
Hough shared a video to his Instagram Story on Thursday, January 19th.
Derek Hough Shares Inside Look At 'tWitch' Memorial
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The video showed a poster of tWitch which read, “In loving memory… Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss 1982-2022.”
There was a massive bouquet of white roses underneath the poster.
This memorial service was put on by the dancing and choreography communities.
Per a FOX11 report, the dance community came together for “Club Jeté,” which is a monthly dance showcase.
The Dance Community Honors tWitch
Thursday’s performance was dedicated to the famed “Ellen Show” DJ and dancer.
The “Club Jeté” experience was held at Lance Bass’ WeHo nightclub, Heart (formerly “Rage”).
The founder of “Club Jeté,” Tiffany Billings met tWitch when she was a professor in college. Billings taught him ballet moves and in turn, he taught her hip hop moves.
tWitch took his own life on December 13, 2022. He was only 40-years-old and left behind his wife, Allison Holker, three children, his mother and a plethora of famous friends and colleagues.
His family held an intimate and private funeral ceremony on January 4th. Only immediate family were invited and it was held in Los Angeles, CA.
His Family Held Private Funeral Earlier This Month
It’s reported that there will be a second larger “Celebration of Life” ceremony in the coming months which will allow close friends and people tWitch considered “extended family” to attend.
In the weeks since his death, Holker has shared a few memories of her late husband.
Most recently, she shared a video of them dancing, which is something they often did at home and together.
The couple was dancing to Silk Sonic’s “Skate,” and she captioned the video, “Our Love Language.”
Allison & Stephen's Love Language
View this post on Instagram
Hough commented, “Memory is strong and forever ❤️🙏🏼.”
Peta Murgatroyd wrote, “We honestly think about your family daily. You’re always in our thoughts Allison. Keep sharing these they’re beautiful ❤️.”
“Glee” star Heather Morris commented, “✨✨ your love will transcend lifetimes. Love you.”
Prior to this post, she shared an absolutely gut-wrenching memorial video dedicated to tWitch. The video montage played to Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.”
View this post on Instagram
“To my husband, best friend, babe, Chee-chalker, Superman and father of my children I LOVE YOU FOREVER and ALWAYS! We will forever remember you as the true beacon of light that you were and we will continue to cast your light and love throughout the world. Thank you for our incredible memories and our beautiful life shared together,” Holker wrote.
Hough also shared a heart-felt tribute and PSA following tWitch’s unexpected passing.
"I found out a man I knew died by suicide on Thanksgiving morning, and it was a complete shock because he was the most positive, just optimistic, beautiful man you could ever imagine, and it was jolting to say the least," Hough said at the start of the video. "But it was a harsh reminder of this time of year and of depression, of seasonal depression, and just circumstances and the time of year when people feel like it's too much."
Derek Hough Shared Suicide PSA Following His Friend's Death
Hough originally planned to make the PSA a week ago, but he didn’t.
tWitch’s death really struck a cord in the dancer and Hough decided to finally sit down and make the video.
"Now I'm learning about our friend Stephen and the fact that he went the exact same way as this man within a few weeks… it's just heartbreaking, confusing, shocking. There's so many different feelings and I'm trying to figure it out," the ‘DWTS’ alum added. "I just want to express and just to say for anybody out there who is feeling these thoughts and these feelings, please, please I beg you — I beg you, give people an opportunity to be there for you.”
Hough continued, "I know it feels like when you're in that dark hole that it will just not get better, and I'm telling you right now, I promise you it does. It does get better. So if you have those thoughts, if you have those feelings, just know that you're not alone. And when I say that you're not alone, I'm saying that people are feeling those feelings right now. They're having those thoughts, those anxieties right now and that you are not alone. We were not meant to do this alone… We're not meant to figure this all out by ourselves. We're meant to figure this out together."