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Former 2NE1 member Minzy recently shared her condolences for her dance teacher, Stephen tWitch Boss, who died by suicide on December 13, 2022.
The singer posted an old picture of herself with the American dancer. Referring to him as a "hero," the Korean singer said she learned a lot from him.
Bidding him goodbye in a heartfelt message, she said:
"I was about 14 when I first met him. He was my dance teacher that taught me a lot of things. Thank you so much for everything. We must always remember his legacy. It still breaks my heart. We love you and miss you. Goodbye, my hero."
The former So You Think You Can Dance contestant was popularly known for being the DJ and co-host of the popular NBC talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In the early days of his career, he also choreographed a number of K-pop acts, including Pop and R&B singer Se7en, BIGBANG, and trained other YG Entertainment artists.
Fans praise Minzy for honoring Boss through an old memory
The 28-year-old is the first K-pop artist to condole the American dancer's death. Many fans, who were unaware of Minzy and Boss' connection, were surprised when the artist revealed that he was her former teacher.
They praised her for paying her respects to him and for saving the decade-old photos and videos of her trainee days with him.
Some fans also found that Minzy shared a close bond with tWitch as he often used to cheer her on by liking and leaving comments under her posts on social media.
More about Minzy: Exit from 2NE1 and solo debut
Gong Min-ji, aka Minzy, debuted as the youngest member of the YG Entertainment quartet 2NE1, alongside CL, Dara, and Bom, when she was only 15 years old.
Although 2NE1 became one of the most popular girl groups worldwide, Min-ji revealed that since she was very young at the time, it took a massive toll on her mental health.
She separated from the group and the agency in 2016 and went on to debut as a solo artist. Her first single, I Wanted To Love, released in 2017 followed by her solo EP Minzy Work 01 Uno, that peaked at number two on the Billboards chart.
2NE1 made a surprise return to the stage at Coachella 2022, seven years after the group first disbanded. They performed their signature hit song, I Am the Best, the song that hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s World Digital Songs chart, making 2NE1 the first K-pop group to achieve that feat.
In an interview with Star News, Minzy shared:
"Standing on stage together with all of the other members for the first time in a long while, looking out at the faces in the huge crowd, I felt happy and nostalgic and excited."
The All of You Say singer's most recent releases are Teamo and Fantabulous, both of which came out in 2021. She also featured on an OTT platform's original music variety show Double Trouble alongside other K-pop stars.
