Two months after his shocking passing, Ellen DeGeneres is paying tribute to her former DJ and good friend, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, on the grounds of her Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.
“As we celebrated the one year anniversary of our Ellen Campus this past week, we took a moment to recognize a very special person who left us too soon,” read an Instagram post from the Fund. “tWitch brought light to so many and was a wonderful friend to @ellendegeneres In his honor we planted this tree so he will be forever remembered on the campus.”
The post featured a photo of a memorial plaque honoring the dancer/DJ and co-executive producer of the Ellen show who died by suicide on Dec. 13 at 40. “In memory of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and the light that he brought to the world,” it reads, noting that the tree was planted this month. An accompanying picture of the sapling showed it in an expansive greenspace with towering mountains in the background.
DeGeneres inaugurated the Ellen Campus in 2022 to expand the study of gorillas by the fund established by famed primate researcher Fossey in 1967.
Days after Boss’ death a devastated DeGeneres shared some memories of her friend and TV compatriot. “Right now what I want to do is remember all the love and laughter I had with tWitch. He brought so much joy to my life. I know he brought joy to yours too. I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite moments with him. If you want to you can also share yours,” she wrote on Instagram using the hashtag #ILovetWitch.
See the Fund’s post below.
