How Did 'So You Think You Can Dance' Star Joshua Allen Die? Inside the Season 4 Winner's Tragic Accident

So You Think You Can Dance fans were shocked to learn that Joshua Allen, a former winner from the dance competition series, died in a tragic accident at just 36.

Allen’s death was confirmed by his family on September 30. At the time, his family asked fans for "privacy and prayers” and declined to share how Allen died.

Emmanuel Hurd, a collaborator and friend of the dancer, reacted to Allen's death, remembering him as a “very honest, real person.”

“He didn’t always do things the way that everybody thought he should, but that’s why he was a winner,” he told the outlet.

One day later, a family member told a news outlet that the dancer died after being “struck by a train.” The Fort Worth Police Department confirmed to TMZ that they received reports about a victim involved in a train accident. The investigation is ongoing.

"One of the last things he said was to keep God first at all times. You have to be real with yourself before you can be real with anybody else,” a source close to Allen told the publication about their last conversations, remembering the performer as a “man of integrity.”

Allen was just 18 when he rose to fame on Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance, which aired on Fox in 2008. He took home the trophy that season, with the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss notably coming in 2nd place.

“I took a few modern dance classes, ballet classes, because I felt that to be a better dancer I would have to take different classes, and expand my horizons in the art of dance,” Allen told Entertainment Weekly in 2008 following the accomplishment. “I didn’t want to audition for the show not knowing anything.”

In addition, he made it clear that he enjoyed working with Boss during their So You Think You Can Dance season. “We were really happy for each other,” Allen told the outlet. “We were two of the closest people there.”

Allen’s career soared after his win on So You Think You Can Dance, making appearances in 2010’s Step Up 3D, 2011’s Footloose and a 2011 episode of American Horror Story.

In his final Instagram post before his death, Allen shared a tribute dedicated to the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died in July after drowning in Costa Rica.

“Fly high King 🤴🏾🕊️💔#gonetoosoon,” Allen captioned the post.