NEWS'Ellen' Producer Andy Lassner Preached Mental Health Awareness Prior To Colleague Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' Suicide: 'Talk To Someone'
Several months before The Ellen DeGeneres Show's resident DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss took his own life, a colleague got candid about mental health visibility.
On the day of the star's unexpected passing, former Warner Bros exec Johanna Fuentes paid tribute by posting an old video that documented the show's producer Andy Lassner discussing the struggles of mental illness.
"Keep each other close, don’t keep in the pain, talk to someone — anyone," Lassner told the show's crowd in May after admitting he and his colleagues experienced some hardships behind the scenes. His speech came about on the final day of Ellen DeGeneres' talk series, which aired this spring.
Lassner, 55, honored Boss — who was 40 at the time of his death — by sharing an old photo to Instagram, captioning it, "Rest, my friend."
DeGeneres, 64, shared a longer message, expressing how "heartbroken" she was about her costar's death.
"tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him," she penned alongside a sweet photo of them hugging. "Please send your love and support to Allison [Holker] and his beautiful children — Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia."
As OK! previously shared, the father-of-three was reported missing by his wife after he left their house without a car. At around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14, a maid at Boss' motel in Encino, Calif., found him dead, having gone into his room after he missed the allotted check out time. It was soon confirmed he died via a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
An insider revealed Holker, 34, feels as if she's "living a nightmare," as just one month earlier, she and Boss revealed on a talk show appearance that they were thinking of expanding their brood.
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"I think we’d love to start trying for another one," she confessed, with the late star adding, "We really do [miss it]. I love the little babies. I love ’em."
The seemingly happy duo also celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary on Saturday, December 10. "I couldn’t be more grateful to celebrate this perfect magical day!!! Saying YES to @sir_twitch_alot has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life!!" she gushed in an Instagram post. "I feel so blessed and loved!! I love you baby and I will never take you or OUR love for granted."
