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The Rwandan conservation campus for gorillas that bears the name of Ellen DeGeneres has planted a tree in memory of Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, who died via suicide at the age of 40 in December.
‘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,’ a statement on the Instagram account of the Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund read Monday.
The statement continued: ‘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.’
A silver plaque at the display read: ‘In memory of Stephen “Twitch” Boss and the light he brought to the world. Planted February 2023.’
DeGeneres, 65, began working with Boss in 2014, as he was a guest DJ on her talk show, eventually working his way up to co-executive producer by 2020.
DeGeneres wept in a video she uploaded to Instagram in the wake of Boss’ passing, as she said ‘we’ll never make sense of’ the death of the beloved entertainer.
‘Everyone is in pain,’ she said. ‘The holidays are hard, I think, anyway, but to honor tWitch I think the best thing that we can do is to laugh, hug each other, play games and dance and sing.’
The TV personality continued: ‘That’s the way we honor him, is we do the things that he loved to do, which is dancing. He loved music, he loved games, so we do that – and I know it seems hard, it seems impossible, but that’s how we honor him.’
The latest: The Rwandan conservation campus for gorillas that bears the name of Ellen DeGeneres has planted a tree in memory of Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, who died via suicide at the age of 40 in December
DeGeneres and Boss were snapped together in 2018 on the set of Ellen’s Game of Games
The Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was opened in Feburary of 2022, and DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi attended a dedication ceremony in June of 2022.
DeGeneres described the campus as ‘incredible,’ detailing her longtime passion toward the area and conservation causes.
‘When I was a kid, I used to dream of coming here,’ DeGeneres said, adding that late conservationist Dian Fossey was a hero to her, ‘and her dedication to gorillas changed the world.
‘The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has been here for over 50 years,’ she said. ‘Thanks to their work, the commitment of the Rwandan government and the efforts of many conservation groups here today, the mountain gorilla population has gone from 300 in the entire world to over 1000.’
DeGeneres noted the multiple objectives of the campus, which is located over 12 acres in Volcanoes National Park: ‘This campus is so important for gorillas, but it’s also more than that.
‘It’s teaching school children about conservation. It’s educating a future generation of scientists. It’s a model for others to follow, from the sustainable architecture to the community’s involvement.’
According to The Fossey Fund, construction commenced on the campus in 2019 and the center was opened in February 2022.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text ‘STRENGTH’ to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
DeGeneres, 65, began working with Boss in 2014, as he was a guest DJ on her talk show, eventually working his way up to co-executive producer by 2020
DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi were seen last year in the African country of Rwanda for the dedication of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
de Rossi spoke at the dedication of a the $15 million project The Ellen Fund worked on in conjunction with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the MASS Design Group
(L-R) Dr. Tara Stoinski, Prime Minister of Rwanda Édouard Ngirente, DeGeneres and de Rossi posed at the dedication of the campus
