“Hug each other and love each other and let people know we’re there for them and check in on people,” she said. “I know it’s not a happy holiday, but he was pure light as everybody in the comment section said. If you knew him, you knew that. If you didn’t know him, you saw that. Let’s honor him and think about him and send love to one another.”

On Dec. 14, Allison Holker confirmed her husband of nine years had passed away. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” she said in a statement to E! News. “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.” 

According to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, Stephen died by suicide.