Music

Stephen "tWitch" Boss, the famed DJ on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, is dead ... and TMZ has learned it appears to be a suicide.

Law enforcement sources tell us Stephen's wife Allison Holker ran into an LAPD station Tuesday, and she was frantic because she said Stephen had left home without his car -- something that was not like him at all.

We're told, a short time later -- around 11:15 AM -- paramedics got a call for a medical emergency at an L.A. hotel ... and they found Stephen there, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Holker tells TMZ, "Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him."

She continues, "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. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory."

Concluding, "Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you."

Stephen started DJing on Ellen's show in 2014, and was with her until the show ended in May 2022. He had become an executive producer on the show in 2020.

He really got his big break in showbiz in 2008, when he was runner-up on "So You Think Can Dance."

He went on to do some acting, landing several roles where he could show off his dance skills. Stephen played Jason in the 'Step Up' movie franchise, and he was also in "Magic Mike XXL."

The last time our photogs got him out around L.A. was back in September, and he talked to us about life after 'Ellen' ... sounding pretty happy to have more time with his family.

Stephen hosted several reality shows, like "The Real Dirty Dancing" -- which aired on FOX earlier this year -- and he and Allison teamed up for "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings" on Disney+.

A statement from FOX Entertainment, 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions, reads, "We will always remember Stephen “tWitch” Boss for the light and joy he brought into our lives and into the hearts of so many. This tragic, painful loss of such a radiant, inimitable talent and beloved friend is immeasurable beyond words, and we grieve alongside his family, loved ones and fans. “tWitch,” we will miss you dearly.”

tWitch and Allison met on the all-star season of 'SYTYCD' -- they were both competing -- and they got married in 2013. Allison and Stephen had just celebrated their 9-year anniversary this past Saturday.

They had 3 kids. Stephen was 40 years old.

RIP

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Diddy is taking full advantage of all the attention his new baby's getting by releasing his new song, “Sex in the Porsche” ... totally unrelated to the baby news, we're sure!

The sultry track features PARTYNEXTDOOR and is produced by Nyan and Diddy ... with Brother Love rapping and bragging about flying chicks in and out of his stable.

Diddy also reminds fans he's the true OG with the classic Biggie line, "Don't leave your girl 'round me/True player for real, ask Puff Daddy."

Naturally, the song brings attention back to the fact Diddy suddenly announced he had a baby girl named Love Sean Combs back in October -- and all the subsequent drama that news brought.

Diddy defended his relationship with Yung Miami amid the controversy, but he might have to do a bit more damage control on her behalf.

The City Girls rapper is currently going at it with her frequent nemesis Gina Huynh and things are getting ugly!!

“Sex in the Porsche” is Diddy's second Love Records/Motown single following the Bryson Tiller collaboration “Gotta Move On,” a track that helped Diddy make history with his son King Combs.

Diddy's son Christian "King" Combs was all smiles trekking through West Hollywood, and for good reason ... he's got a new baby sister!!!

Christian was spotted leaving LAVO Ristorante Wednesday, and when asked about shouldering the Bad Boy empire he eagerly replied his hard work was going towards supporting his family.

A fitting statement, as you know, as Christian's family just got a little bigger. His dad just revealed he welcomed a baby girl back in October named Love Sean Combs with 28-year-old cyber security specialist Dana Tran. Christian reveals he's met his new baby sister.

While Lil' Love has a few years before she's able to do the Diddy Bop dance, Christian is steadily laying down the foundation for her to get jiggy with it when she gets older.

His Kodak Black collab "Can't Stop Won't Stop" recently went No. 1 on Billboard's U.S. Urban Radio chart, making for one of the hottest rap songs of the year!!!

DJ Akademiks revealed on his Tuesday night Twitch broadcast that Diddy actually DM'ed over his Yung Miami "side chick" comments ... so now he's bowing out gracefully on the topic!!!

Ak took the blame for fanning the flames following Diddy's newest baby announcement ... and vowed not to meddle in Diddy's multi-women affairs.

Diddy's public tweets were also dissected with humor, but Ak took heed to the underlying "threat" and knew it was serious when Miami was tagged in the PSA.

As Ak was making amends on his end ... Miami and Gina Huynh, however, reignited their beef in the wake of baby No. 7.

Gina took a direct shot at Miami ... captioning a TikTok "City Girls down 1000" in reference to Miami's loyalty and fandom to Diddy.

Miami exploded on Twitter ... dousing Gina with put-downs about her race and claiming Diddy just uses her as an oral sex toy.

Things are getting messy ... let's see if Ak is able to sit back and watch the show without commentating!!! 🍿

Offset is finding reasons to smile again ... hanging with his wife Cardi B, her sister Hennessy and other friends and fam during his 31st celebration in Jamaica.

The Migos rapper puffed on a massive J Wednesday as he was serenaded with Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday" song ... capping off a feast of giant lobsters and other various seafood at the Lobster Dave Seafood Restaurant and Sports Bar in Ocho Rios.

Cardi hypnotized Offset with sexy looks all night ... and the group took shots and danced the night away in the Jamaican moonlight!!!

Offset's had a rough 2022 due to the untimely death of his Migos brother Takeoff ... with Cardi even admitting she was in a hopeless bind attempting to cheer up her hubby.

Grief doesn't end overnight ... but at least Offset is feeling the love today!!!

R. Kelly's team called police claiming hundreds of his master recordings were stolen ... and now his camp thinks that could be behind the unauthorized release of the new "I Admit It" album.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, the Kelly master recordings were reported missing back in February ... swiped from an Illinois storage facility.

Cops say a man named Keith Calbert called to report a theft, telling officers he oversees the Kelly property being stored in the warehouse. Calbert told police several hundred of Kelly's recordings were missing, and he valued them in the millions of dollars.

It's interesting ... cops say Calbert told them 2 roadies removed the masters from the warehouse 9 months prior, and took them to California. Police say Calbert also told them he had advised one of the roadies to bring back the recordings ... but was told he needed to pay $160,000 for their return.

Police say Calbert showed them 10 empty shelves he said used to be completely full, and estimated between 300 to 500 missing recordings.

It's unclear why Kelly's team waited so long to make the report. In any event, cops say they investigated but it didn't go anywhere, so the case was closed with no arrests.

TMZ broke the story ... R. Kelly claims he had nothing to do with the recently released, 13-track "I Admit It" album.

His legal team says they're trying to find out who uploaded the music to Spotify and Apple Music, and those 2 roadies are high on their list of people to contact.

Kelly Clarkson got a restraining order against a woman who allegedly kept showing up at her doorstep -- but even after a judge signed off ... Kelly claims the lady won't stop coming around.

The singer's team filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, which claim that a woman by the name of Huguette Nicole Young has deliberately driven by KC's Los Angeles-area home at least once this week ... this after a TRO was granted last week to keep her ass away.

According to the docs obtained by TMZ, Kelly's head of security, Michael Lopez, says the team noticed Young's car -- which had previously been seen and identified by them from her past visits -- cruise by Kelly's property very early on Tuesday morning at around 1:45 AM.

Lopez even uploaded surveillance camera footage of what he says is Young's vehicle creeping across Kelly's driveway in the dead of night.

Remember, Kelly just successfully got a judge to sign off on a court-ordered temporary restraining order -- saying Young has been to her home nearly 20 times over 5 years.

Kelly's security team claimed Young has left gifts and other items at her front gate, and has been captured multiple times on surveillance.

There's more ... one of Kelly's former backup singers filed an additional declaration claiming that Young has actually been dogging Kelly around the country dating back to 2009. The singer says Young started writing letters and fan mail around that time.

Lil Wayne's signature hit "Lollipop" is now certified DIAMOND by the Recording Industry Association of America ... adding yet another sparkling notch in the Young Money CEO's storied career!!!

After the RIAA announcement Wednesday morning, an appreciative Lil Wayne sent out a video thanking all the 10 million fans who bought the song -- noting it was sales, not streams that got him the Diamond plaque.

"Lollipop" was released as the first single from Wayne's 2008 blockbuster album "Tha Carter 3." The album sold one million records in just a week ... so it's no surprise the party-starter "Lollipop" hit the Diamond mark.

Wayne also sent out a special RIP to the song's collaborator Static Major ... who'd also worked with artists like Aaliyah and Timbaland. Static died from health complications in 2008 shortly before "Lollipop" was released.

"Lollipop" spent a total of 5 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and officially kicked off the digital era of rap singles selling like hotcakes!!!

Jadakiss and Styles P are excited about their upcoming concert series ... especially since it puts their patented bob-and-weave rhyme patterns on display for the NYC crowd!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with both Jada and Styles ahead of their co-headlining “Back to Back” concert series -- which happens this Friday, Dec. 16 at the famed venue Irving Plaza.

The LOX members are especially hyped for this particular show for a couple of reasons -- one being showcasing “in and out” rap styles ... and the other being it's sponsored by about a dozen cannabis brands, including some hailing from the West Coast.

New York legalized 420 for recreational use back in Oct. 2021, and Styles took advantage this past summer ... celebrating the 20th anniversary of his stoner anthem, "Good Times," with a live show similar to their upcoming gig.

Styles tells us after so many years in the industry, they're happy to be in control of the business side. Jada notes additional bells and whistles -- like the cannabis bonus -- are vital to keeping fans engaged, or high, at shows these days!!!

Despite the good times ahead, hip hop has suffered tremendous blows this year ... and as elder statesmen of the culture, Styles and Jada are squarely blaming music execs and radio programmers for allowing "problematic" music to run rampant these days.

Styles uses drill music for his example ... and notes how it's incredibly nearsighted to blame a lowly kid with no ability to get their songs into the machine's rotation.

They admit everyone in the industry needs to step up, but the powers that be need to be held accountable as they're the ones cutting the checks.

Looking ahead to the show, we're told fans can expect to hear "in and out" style performances like "We Gonna Make It" and "Keepin' It Gangsta" and there'll be additional appearances from Neek Bucks, Flawless and more artists too.

Tory Lanez has an answer for all the critics questioning why he’d bring his young son to his shooting trial involving Meg Thee Stallion ... and it’s all about support.

The rapper was in full-on dad mode Tuesday as he left the courthouse where Meg testified he shot her and wished he had killed her ... carrying his son on his back as he jogged out to his ride.

Tory was peppered with questions about the trial, including why he chose to bring his 5-year-old son, Kai'Lon, to court ... with Tory explaining how father and son are a support system for one another.

When Tory and his son arrived at court earlier in the day they raised eyebrows online ... because his kid has literally nothing to do with the case.

As we reported ... Megan's testimony was super emotional, touching on the impact this case is having on her ... including the notion that she wishes she was dead instead of having to deal with the trial.

YNW Melly says he fears for his life inside Broward County jail, and his mother is taking him at his word ... and demanding immediate action before there's a turn for the worse.

Jamie Demons-King says she's tried to get some relief from the judge in Melly's case, but is taking action into her own hands now by bringing the matter straight to the county commissioner.

The "Murder on My Mind" rapper called out specific guards in 2 IG posts this week, accusing them of threatening to beat him up and isolate him from the other inmates.

Melly also says his phone privileges have been revoked and feels like he has a target on his back. Jamie tells us she's feeling helpless over her son's predicament.

She says Christmas Day is her birthday and all she wants for a gift would be to talk to Melly ... but she's not certain it's going to happen.

We reached out to the Broward Co. Sheriff's Office, but haven't heard back yet.

Megan Thee Stallion is in court for the second day of Tory Lanez's shooting trial ... letting cameras know how she's feeling as fans cheer her on outside the building.

Megan stepped into a DTLA courthouse Tuesday ... giving a thumbs up when asked how she was doing. The rapper was also asked if she's nervous about the trial, but shakes her head at that one.

Meg had a bunch of fans in her corner, too ... with a group of her supporters holding up banners and signs -- and even wearing shirts that all say "We stand with Megan."

Not everyone is backing the Megan train, though -- as she walked into court, one person shouted out, "Why you lying on that boy?" No reaction from Meg and co., though.

As we reported, Tory's trial kicked off Monday, with both sides laying out what they say happened the night Meg was allegedly shot in the foot. Prosecutors clearly say Tory pulled the trigger, while Tory's attorneys have laid out alternative theories, including pointing out some possible fighting between Kelsey and Meg that night.

Megan will reportedly testify at some point during the trial -- but it's unclear when she'll take the stand.

Lil Fizz wants to make sure one thing is VERY clear ... it's not his naked butt that's making the rounds on social media, despite what some people may claim.

ICYMI ... there's an explicit video that's blown up on social media that shows what appears to be a man showing off his area where the sun don't shine. Those sharing the video claimed the video was Fizz, and a leak from his OnlyFans account.

However, Fizz got on IG Tuesday to address the video, saying, "This is crazy, the levels these chicks will go to, to try and destroy and ruin you."

He continued, "Wow unbelievable! Ya'll have a happy holiday, that is NOT ME!"

The late Young Dolph spent countless hours recording in the studio -- and his upcoming posthumous album "Paper Route Frank" will bloom the fruits of the late Memphis rap star's labor.

Paper Route Empire fired off the latest single on Tuesday ... The O'Jays's sampling "Old Ways," irons out Dolph's persona to a tee.

Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Dolph's cousin and day one Key Glock, and PRE rappers Big Moochie Grape and SNUPE BANDZ all chime in for vocal contributions ... while Bandplay, Drumma Boy, Sosa 808, Dun Deal and others will hold down the production duties!!

The album drops this Friday, December 16 and will cap off a banner memorial year for Dolph ... as November 17 was recently bestowed Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr. Day of Service by state legislatures in both Georgia and Tennessee.

Diddy is reaffirming his love for Yung Miami following Akademiks' labeling of the City Girl as a "side chick" after the Bad Boy mogul announced he just welcomed a new baby girl into the world.

In a pair of tweets Tuesday, Diddy denied Miami was ever a side chick ... even dishing out a new nickname for her -- "Shawty Wop."

Diddy also promised to pop up at any house of someone who "hurts" those he loves ... a fitting threat because Akademiks has been inviting people to visit him in Jersey.

Ak and Miami were tussling on Twitter Monday ... when "Grown-ish" actor Luka Sabbat entered the chat -- only to be dragged for filth by Ak on Twitch during a quasi-homophobic rant.

As we told you earlier in the week ... Diddy welcomed a new baby girl by the name of Love Combs with 28-year-old cyber security pro Dana Tran.

President Biden has signed a bill into law that works to permanently protect same-sex and interracial marriages -- although the Supreme Court still might have something to say about it.

Dubbed the "Respect for Marriage Act," the bill codifies protections for married couples of all races and sexual orientations and requires the federal government to recognize these marriages in all 50 states ... which, for now, is already the law of the land.

The bill was passed in the House with a vote of 258-169 and in the Senate ... 61-36. Some Republicans got onboard for the legislation -- but far from a majority in either house.

To celebrate the occasion, the White House hosted an event on the South Lawn with several guests and even some music acts to help ring in the moment. Sam Smith, who identifies as nonbinary, was one of those artists who performed ... singing their hit "Stay With Me."

Cyndi Lauper, who appeared during Tuesday's press briefing, also took the stage for her classic song, "True Colors." There were a couple other acts, including a gay choir. Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi also delivered remarks, as did guest speakers.

During the signing ceremony, Biden called the move a huge deal for Americans everywhere, emphasizing the importance of being able to marry anyone you love, and the significance of having that right protected by law under the federal government.

The Respect for Marriage Act is meant to serve as a safeguard against possible reversals of key Supreme Court cases that weighed in on these issues in the past -- namely, 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges and, of course, 1967's Loving v. Virginia. The former promised gay couples the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples, and the latter did the same for interracial couples.

The bill was drafted shortly after SCOTUS' reversal of Roe v. Wade -- wiping away a federally-protected right to an abortion. There was then fear SCOTUS would go after Obergefell and Hodges too -- especially after Justice Clarence Thomas suggested cases like these needed another look as well in his controversial written opinion.