Joshua Allen, a dancer who is best known for winning So You Think You Can Dance Season 4, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 36.
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Although a member of Allen’s family confirmed the news to TMZ, they did not reveal his cause of death. They simply asked fans for “privacy and prayers.” (Update, Oct. 5, 9:40 pm.: A later TMZ report revealed the dancer died after being struck by a train, though further circumstances around the incident are unclear.)
Dancer and longtime friend of Allen’s, Emmanuel Hurd, told the media outlet that he was “shocked” by the passing of the late dancer. Hurd remembers Allen as being a “very honest, real person” who would share his own flaws with others.
“He didn’t do anything the way that everybody thought he should,” Hurd explained. “But that’s why he was a winner.”
Hurd also took to Instagram to pay tribute to Allen. “I can’t wrap my head around this…Josh…my brotha,” he wrote. “There are no words. You were the life of the party. You were Batman. Champion. One of the realest people I ever met. Kept it a stack every time and would make it right if you fell short. A real King. This one hurts deep.”
He then added, “I know you’re with Stephen [‘tWitch’ Boss] now and that brings me comfort. I love you bro. IVEVER.”
Joshua Allen Found Professional Success and Endured Personal Struggles Years After Winning So You Think You Can Dance
Joshua Allen won So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, scoring $250,000 during the competition. He became good friends with Season 4’s runner-up, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who passed away in late 2022.
Following his time on So You Think You Can Dance, Allen appeared as a featured dancer in Step Up 3D with Boss and fellow competition finalist Katee Shean. He also appeared in the 2010 dance comedy Freak Dance, Season 2 of Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off, NBC’s Community, and FX’s American Horror Story.
Nearly a decade after his So You Think You Can Dance win, Allen was sentenced to one year in county jail after he pleaded no contest to domestic violence towards his ex-girlfriend. Along with jail time, he was sentenced to five years of formal probation and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. He was further ordered to stay away from his ex for a decade.