Coco Gauff and Monica Puig pay tribute to Ellen show DJ ‘tWitch’ after his passing

Tennis stars Coco Gauff and Monica Puig paid tribute to DJ and television personality tWitch as he passed away.

Stephen "tWitch" Boss, the cheerful "Ellen DeGeneres Show" DJ, committed suicide on December 13. He was only 40. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-office Coroner's and the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed his death.

Coco Gauff paid tribute to the Dancer and DJ on her Instagram story.

“rest in peace to a beautiful soul<3,” wrote Coco Gauff.

The 18-year-old also shared contact details for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on her Instagram story and mentioned to take care of oneself and to check in on fellow pals.

Monica Puig, who retired from the sport earlier this year, paid tribute to tWitch and shared a heartfelt message for anyone battling suicidal thoughts or mental health issues.

“RIP. Praying for all those who are suffering through a silent battle that is masked with a smile. Now is the time to act and to be kinder to one another. Open a door to kindness and compassion..you never know who might need it..,” wrote Monica Puig on her Instagram story.

"It’s OK to put certain things above our sport" - Coco Gauff on Naomi Osaka's stand on mental health

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka pictured during the 2019 US Open

Coco Gauff praised Naomi Osaka earlier this year for coming out about mental health and for serving as a sort of trailblazer.

Naomi Osaka didn’t attend her Roland Garros press conference last year, citing mental health issues. When the tournament threatened to suspend her if she did not fulfill her media commitments, Osaka withdrew from the competition after the first round and later from Wimbledon. Naomi Osaka was also penalized by Roland Garros with a $15,000 fine.

“Watching her with mental health made a lot of athletes take a step back and realise that it’s OK to put certain things above our sport. I feel like we were used to being told that was wrong. So, it was nice to see her and Simone Biles put mental health first. I’m glad that she’s a representation of tennis, a representation of our sport. I always like seeing her. When I lost to her in Cincinnati (last year), I told her, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’” Gauff said in this year’s Silicon Valley Classic pre-tournament press conference.

Coco Gauff will kick off her 2023 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, which is scheduled to take place between January 2-14.

The teenager had previously expressed her excitement to compete in Auckland.

"Auckland is such a beautiful city and I am excited to come back. I chose to return because the fans, the atmosphere and the city are unique to the tour," Gauff said, as per NewsHub.

"I definitely missed New Zealand the last two years and I am excited to kick my year off back in Auckland," she added.