Ellen DeGeneres has paid tribute to the long-time dancing DJ on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show Stephen “tWitch” Boss, remembering him as “pure love and light”.

The death of the 40-year-old former So You Think You Can Dance contestant was confirmed by his wife Allison Holker Boss on Wednesday.

In a post on Twitter, 64-year-old DeGeneres wrote: “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.”

tWitch began his tenure at The Ellen Show in 2014 and later was promoted to co-executive producer in 2020.

He was also a runner-up on So You Think You Can Dance.

The dancer-DJ also appeared in films including Step Up: All In and Magic Mike XXL.

In a statement published on People.com tWitch’s wife said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us.

“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.”

David Harbour on the Ellen DeGeneres Show
Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss speaking to David Harbour while guest-hosting an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros/PA)

Boss posted dance videos on TikTok with his wife, who is also a professional dancer, with their children making guest appearances.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

The Ellen show aired its final episode in May and included guest appearances from Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink!

The show first premiered in 2003 and won multiple Emmy awards during a run that saw more than 3,000 episodes recorded.

DeGeneres announced last year that she was stepping down from the TV show after controversy over an alleged toxic workplace environment.

In 2020, she apologised to staff after an internal review by Warner Bros found “deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management”.

The review was launched after reports of a toxic environment on the programme but DeGeneres later denied that it was the reason she decided to end the show.