So You Think You Can Dance winner Joshua Allen, 36, dies as family issue statement
Joshua Allen, winner of 2008's So You Think You Can Dance, has died at the age of 36, his family confirmed.
Allen rose to fame on the fourth season of the reality dance competition at just 18 years old.
He went on to appear in movies and TV shows, including Step Up 3D, alongside So You Think You Can Dance runner-ups, Katee Shean and Stephen 'tWitch' Boss.
He also featured in 2011's Footloose, American Horror Story, Community and in commercials for brands including Honda, McDonald's and the US Census.
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A family member told TMZ Allen was struck by a train and died in hospital near his home in Texas on Tuesday (September 30).
The Fort Worth Police Department confirmed to the publication that it received a call on Tuesday regarding a person being struck by a train.
Their investigation is ongoing.
Allen's family member asked the publication for 'privacy and prayers,' while remembering the TV star as 'a man of integrity and a person who always wanted to bring family together'.
Following Allen's death, fans have revisited his social media pages and discovered his final post was a tribute to The Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who had died earlier that month while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica.
Back in July, Allen shared a photo of the two together, accompanied by the caption: "Fly high King #gonetoosoon."
Elsewhere, choreographer and friend Emmanuel Hurd took to Instagram to lead tributes to Allen.
"Can’t wrap my head around this…Josh…my brotha. There are no words. You were the life of the party," he wrote.
"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."
Hurd concluded the post saying: "This one hurts deep. I know you’re with Stephen now and that brings me comfort. I love you bro."
He was referencing the late SYTYCD runner-up Boss, who died in December 2022 at the age of 40 by suicide.
Allen began dancing at the age of eight, citing King of Pop Michael Jackson as one of his early influences.
After winning the SYTYCD title, he shocked audiences when he revealed he'd had no technical dance training as a child.
But Allen told Entertainment Weekly that he did take 'a few' modern dance and ballet classes because 'I felt that to be a better dancer I would have to take different classes, and expand my horizons in the art of dance.'
"I didn’t want to audition for the show not knowing anything," he added.
In 2017, Allen pleaded no contest to domestic violence and was sentenced to one year in county jail.
At the time, the Los Angeles Daily News reported that his punishment also included five years of formal probation, 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, and a 10-year restraining order requiring him to stay away from the victim, his ex-girlfriend.
Topics: US News, Film and TV, Texas
Ellie Kemp