Channing Tatum is looking back at his friendship with late dancer Stephen "tWitch" Boss. "I promised myself I wasn't going to cry," Tatum, 45, said as he became emotional during a speech honoring Boss at the Dance Hall of Fame Ceremony in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 3, according to People. "I do this because tWitch made me laugh all the time. But to say that it is an honor to sit up here and talk about that man is an understatement to say the least." Tatum, who starred with Boss in 2015's Magic Mike XXL, recalled getting to work with the actor "for a good amount of time," noting that Boss "loved fiercely." "He just loves so big, and that's why he just shines so much," the Roofman star continued. How Allison Holker Honored Stephen 'tWitch' Boss on 'SYTYCD' Premiere Tatum also said he was in awe of Boss' dancing skills. "My brain just couldn't wrap itself around how this giant, big, beautiful man was moving the way he was," he explained. "I was a bigger guy, and I couldn't fathom moving like that, and then he had to go and open his stupid mouth and be funny as well. That pissed me off. I was like, 'Hold on a second.' And then he smiles at you and then you fall in love with him, and then that's just tWitch." Tatum joked that he had a "man crush" on Boss, but this wasn't unusual because the So You Think You Can Dance alum "made all of us fall in love with him." "He made you want to be better at anything that you wanted to be. He accepted you for who you were, who you wanted to be or wherever you were going," Tatum continued. "He wanted to help and he wanted to be there." Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Tatum added that he "felt some sort of kinship" with Boss because they were both born in Alabama. "Roll Tide, by the way. I'm sure he yelled it back and is laughing at me right now," he quipped. Tatum concluded, "It was an honor to know him. It was an honor to call him a friend, and I will see him again." Boss died by suicide at age 40 in December 2022, Us Weekly confirmed at the time. He is survived by his wife, Allison Holker, and their three kids: daughters Weslie, 17, and Zaia, 6, and son Maddox, 9. Allison Holker Shares How Family Will Honor Late tWitch on Father's Day "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us," Holker, 37, said in a statement at the time. "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." In September, Holker took to Instagram to pay tribute to Boss on what would have been his 43rd birthday. "Happy heavenly birthday Stephen. We love you and still feel all your love," she captioned photos of herself and their kids, as well as a throwback snap with Boss. "We celebrated by doing some of your favorite things Korean BBQ, Comic book store and cookies and cream. Sending you all our love and support and appreciate yours."