"He's my support system and our anchor for our family, for sure," his wife Allison Holker had mentioned during the interview.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2022. It has since been updated.
In the years leading up to his passing on December 13, 2022, Stephen "tWitch" Boss emphasized the value of being there for his children. The former Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ discussed his job as a parent in a March 2020 joint interview that Boss gave along with his wife Allison Holker with PEOPLE. He shared that he aimed to provide a "strong support system" for his three kids, Zaia, 3, Maddox, 6, and Weslie, 14.
"For me, fatherhood means being open and understanding my kids and being a strong support system for whatever they need, whether it's my son or my daughters," he said. "With that being said, it's just a matter of being open and listening and making sure that I'm paying attention to them — paying attention to what I need to protect them from the world and that kind of thing."
In the interview, his wife Allison commended Stephen for being an "amazing, supportive husband" and referred to him as the "anchor" of their five-person family. "I'm very grateful to have the amazing, supportive husband that I do because he just honestly jumps in at any moment to help," she said of Stephen at the time. "I just feel like I'm very, very, very blessed to have that kind of husband," added Allison. "He's my support system and our anchor for our family, for sure."
The pair also talked about the dance videos they had been posting to Instagram, including one very stunning video of Holker dancing to Gettin' Jiggy wit It at 39 weeks pregnant in 2019. “Dance brought us together, so what you see [on Instagram], that’s literally having fun,” Boss shared. “That’s us putting on a song that we like and taking a couple of minutes to put a couple of moves together and then filming it.”
Boss died by suicide at 40 years of age. When reporting her husband's tragic passing on Wednesday, Allison echoed similar feelings about him, telling PEOPLE he was the "backbone of our family." She said in the moving statement, "Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends, and community above all else, and leading with love and the light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans."
"To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt," she continued. "I am certain there won't be a day that goes by that we won't honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children." Closing her statement, Allison shared a message for her husband. "Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you," she concluded.
References:
https://people.com/parents/allison-holker-bottle-feeds-daughter-zaia-twitch-stephen-boss-exclusive/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Amy Sussman
