Ellen DeGeneres Marks Late Friend Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss’s 41st Birthday: ‘I Love You and I Always Will’

Ellen DeGeneres remembers her late friend Stephen “tWitch” Boss on his 41st birthday.

In a touching tribute posted on Instagram, the former daytime host paid tribute to Boss, who served as The Ellen DeGeneres ShowDJ and producer.

“Happy birthday, tWitch. I love you and I always will,” DeGeneres (65) captioned a selfie of the two smiling while on a private jet.

Ellen DeGeneres recalls the ‘Love and Laughter’ she shared with boss Stephen ‘tWitch’ before his death

Ellen DeGeneres and Stephen “tWitch” Boss.

Mike Rozman/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Earlier that day, So you think you can dance The wife of fan favorite Allison Holker Boss posted her own memorial on Instagram, honoring her late husband’s legacy by visiting his grave with their three children.

“We honor our beautiful, sweet, kind and beloved Stephen tWitch Laurel Boss. Forever in our hearts and minds he carries us, guides us and lifts us up,” she began in her caption.

“We feel your presence every day and will forever be grateful for the good times we spent together,” she continued alongside photos of her children spending time at his gravestone. “We feel your arms around us and holding us on this day. Happy birthday my love @sir_twitch_ many days we will always celebrate the gift you were and still are to this world. We love you!”

Ellen DeGeneres cries as she pays tribute to Stephen ‘tWitch’s boss: ‘We’ll never make sense’

Stephen tWitch Boss and family Allison Holker. Allison Holker/Instagram

The dancer, DJ and producer met Allison, 35, in 2010 when they appeared as stars in Season 7 SYTYCD . They eventually tied the knot in a ceremony in Paso Robles, California in 2013 and share a son, Maddox, as well as daughters Zaia and Weslie (Allison’s child from a previous relationship).

After his death by suicide last December, Allison said in a statement to PEOPLE that “Stephen lit up every room he walked 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.”

“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt,” she continued. “I’m sure not a day will go by that we don’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy at this difficult time for me, and especially for our three children.”

She personally wrote to her husband: “Stephen, we love you, we miss you and I will always save the last dance for you.”

Allison Holker remembers her late husband Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss on the first Father’s Day since his death

Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker Boss. Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

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Shortly after Stephen’s death, DeGeneres paid tribute to the choreographer by posting a clip that aired during the final season The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which included a montage of her favorite moments with the late star. Some of the highlights include Stephen teaching her to dance and him becoming a DJ on the show.

“Whenever he’s not here, it’s just different… he’s my friend, he’s my sidekick, because we have that bond,” she shared in the video. “I just look at it and it makes me laugh. It really, really makes me laugh.”

“I love you tWitch and you know it. We say that to each other every day when we say goodbye after the show, we both say I love you,” she continued. “He says I love you a lot, and I say ‘I love you.’ And so he will never disappear from my life. It’s always a part of my life.”

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Source: HIS Education