Stephen 'tWitch' Boss’ mom speaks out after his death, reveals his final texts to her
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Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ mom will never forget the last texts she received from her son before he died.
The dancer and former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” DJ died by suicide on Dec. 13 at the age of 40. Six months later, Connie Alexander Boss reflects on her son’s unexpected death and how his last final words to her were filled with love.
“I’d been sick, so he texted to ask how I was feeling,” the city supervisor, who lives in Phoenix, told People in an interview published June 28. “That was the last time we talked. To the extent that Stephen may have been in a Black depression — no, not Stephen. He was so in tune with analyzing and trying to make himself better, reading self-help books, so this came as a complete shock.”
The “So You Think You Can Dance” alum’s death came as a shock to fans, family and friends alike, who knew Stephen Boss for his joyful personality. His death began a conversation online about high-functioning depression.
“He started that last text with, “I love you, Mom,’” the entertainer’s mom said. “And I responded, ‘I love you more.’”
Connie Alexander Boss said she continues to grapple with her son's death, saying, “Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, and then other times it feels like it’s been so long since I’ve seen him. When I think about him, I try not to dwell on how he left this earth.”
When she was told how he died, she said suicide “was not my first thought — that it had been his hand. I really thought something had happened to him.”
The day that the dancer died, she recalled being told he was missing and “immediately” started calling people to see if they had seen or spoken to him. When no one had, she and her brother decided to fly out to California.
While getting a rapid COVID-19 test before flying, she received a called that made her suspect “something was wrong.”
“I went to my parents’ house and walked in. They were just standing there looking at me, and I said, ‘Have you heard something?’ All I remember hearing was, ‘Connie, he’s gone.’ And I remember screaming or falling to my knees. The rest of the day is more of a blur,” she said.
In the days and weeks that came, she found herself in “a lot of introspection.”
“Did I miss something? Did he mean something when he said this?” she said she thought to herself. “At this point, I’m in realization, I guess. When I wake up in the morning, it does hit me that, oh my God, he really is not physically here. But then in my head I can hear him say, ‘Hey, Mom. I’m OK.’”
Boss’ wife, “Dancing with the Stars” pro Allison Holker Boss, confirmed his death in a statement on Dec. 14. The couple were parents to son Maddox, 7, and daughter Zaia, 3. He also adopted Holker Boss’ daughter, Weslie, from a previous relationship.
In May, Holker Boss spoke with TODAY's Hoda Kotb about what life has been like without her husband.
“I still feel like the rest of the world where I’m still shocked,” she said. “No one’s ready for that moment and there’s no one that saw this coming. No one — and that breaks my heart too.”
She also touched on having tough conversations with her children, who constantly asked about their dad.
“It’s honestly something I wouldn’t wish for anybody. It’s really hard,” she said through tears, adding that she’s learned that communication is key. “There’s been some really hard conversations. To us, Daddy’s in the stars. So we can go outside and talk to him whenever we want.”
“They just ask, ‘When is daddy coming back?’ and that’s a really hard one. And then it’ll be a couple weeks later, ‘But does he come back when he’s older? Like, when Daddy’s older he’ll come back?’” she continued. “But they are still children and still obviously want him here.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
