Joshua Allen Dies: ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 4 Winner Was 36

Joshua Allen, the Season 4 winner of So You Think You Can Dance, has died.

Allen passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 30, a family member told TMZ. The family member asked fans for “privacy and prayers,” but did not reveal the cause of death. He was 36.

Born in Fort Worth, TX, Allen was announced winner of the fourth season of So You Can Think You Can Dance on the August 7, 2008 show, winning $250,000. He was crowned the champion over late runner-up Stephen “tWtich” Boss, the longtime Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ, who died by suicide at age 40 in December 2022.

Choreographer Emmanuel Hurd paid tribute to Allen on Instagram, alongside a photo montage. “I can’t wrap my head around this…Josh…my brotha. There are no words,” Hurd wrote. “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. I know you’re with Stephen now and that brings me comfort. I love you bro. IVEVER.”

He appeared as a featured dancer in Step Up 3D, alongside fellow SYTYCD finalists Katee Shean and Boss. He also appeared in the dance comedy Freak Dance, on Season 2 of Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off and was a featured dancer in 2011’s Footloose remake. He also appeared in videos and commercials for Honda and McDonald’s, and was featured as a dancer on NBC’s Community and FX’s American Horror Story.

He posted his final, and what is now, bittersweet Instagram post on July 21, the day The Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death was announced. Allen posted a photo of himself with Warner, writing “Fly high King #gonetoosoon.”