NBA player Kevin Love is mourning the loss of professional dancer Stephen Boss, who died by suicide recently.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” Boss’ wife Allison shared in a statement. “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. 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,” she continued. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children.”
And, among the grieving is the Cleveland Cavaliers player. After experiencing his friend’s death, Love is encouraging folks around the world to take care of their mental health. “Everyone is going through something that you can’t see,” Love wrote in an Instagram story, alongside a photo of the late Ellen DeGeneres talk show DJ.
This loss is particularly personal to Love, as the NBA player has experienced his own struggles with depression and self-harm. “Those are really scary moments in my life,” he said in an interview in 2020.
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Kevin Love gets vulnerable about his own mental health
“The good thing that happens is when you do search that it comes up with the National Suicide Prevention line,” the 34-year-old basketball star continued, opening up about his harrowing experience with depression. “There were a couple of ways that I toyed with but it was too scary to get down that route and think about that idea of taking my own life, but it was something that crossed my mind pretty often, especially in a moment like that.”
He proceeded to add the sentiments, “I think that’s been the biggest and most helpful thing for me is exposing it, understanding that it is gonna make me vulnerable and maybe put me in a spot where most people it could be tough, but I know that there’s a whole group and strength in numbers out there of people who are dealing with it.”
The basketball player is also responsible for creating the Kevin Love Fund, an organization designed to bring awareness to children struggling with mental health.
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