Ellen DeGeneres has shared a heart-wrenching video as she recognised the difficulties for "everyone" over the last 11 days after the death of her close friend and former coworker Stephen "tWitch" Boss.
Ellen and tWitch worked together for eight years on The Ellen Show, where he had been a DJ and producer until the series' completion.
Sadly, tWitch died of suspected suicide last week at the age of 40, in shocking news spread across the world as fans and colleagues alike grieved the beloved TV star.
Stephen's death was confirmed by his wife Alison, and multiple US news outlets reported that the DJ had died by suicide, citing the LA County Medical Examiner.
Since then, chat show host Ellen, 61, has been determined to remember all the good moments and happy memories with her friend, periodically sharing videos of them together.
Ahead of Christmas weekend, the star reflected on the loss differently as she began her video: “Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say the past 11 days have been really tough for everyone.
“Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it and we’ll never make sense of it. And the holidays are hard, I think anyway.
“But to honour Twitch, I think the best thing that we can do is to laugh and hug each other and play games and dance and sing," Ellen continued.
She said that tWitch's friends are determined to honour him by doing all the things he always loved to do, such as dancing and playing music.
Ellen explained that while it "seems hard" in the face of such a loss, she also honours her honorary family member by hugging her own loved ones and telling them she loves them.
She also mentioned how important it was to let people know you're "there for them" and to "check in on people" after a mental health tragedy.
The chat show host added that she knows it's “not a happy holiday” this year, as she fought back tears in the open video.
Filming from what appeared to be her own garden, Ellen's breath caught as she finished off the clip by telling her followers tWitch had been "pure light".
"If you knew him you knew that, if you didn't know him you saw it.
"Let's honour him and think about him and send love to one another," the star added.
Fans and friends took to the comments to share their support in a time of grief, as one person said: "Checking in on you Ellen. Sending love and thanking you for all the years of laughter and fun."
"You helped to change his life and spread the message of joy through dance .." another said. "He loved you and the show… He loved us all and that is what is helping me .. to know that He loved us..
"I'll miss him but we will keep dancing for his family and his memory."
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
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