Ellen Show Producer Dies At 52

Matthew Wright, the executive producer who spent 16 years on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died on Friday, Oct. 30, at age 52. He was working remotely in Los Angeles when he passed away. A GoFundMe page launched by his family describes the death as an unfathomable tragedy, though no cause has been publicly released.

Wright’s death caught colleagues off guard because he was active in the industry just days before he died. Andy Lassner, a fellow executive producer on the Ellen show, said he saw Wright just hours prior to his death. Wright had visited Lassner on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show for a Halloween episode. Lassner posted a tribute on Instagram on Sunday, Nov. 1, stating that the team is in shock and that Wright was a brilliant producer and a good human being.

Ellen DeGeneres shared her own tribute on Instagram on Monday, Nov. 2. She recalled Wright’s humor and kindness, noting that he made her laugh and that everyone at the show loved him. DeGeneres revealed that the two were preparing to collaborate on a new project that they had planned to start together. She called him the glue of the show’s family and stated that they lost a good guy.

Wright was from Ulster County, New York. His husband, Justin, and other family members are in New York and are trying to arrange his return home for a funeral. The family is facing financial hurdles because both Wright and his husband were laid off during the summer. They need funds to cover the cost of bringing his body back to New York, holding a funeral there, and organizing a memorial service in Los Angeles.

Organizers of the GoFundMe fundraiser said Wright’s husband, father, sister, and niece are desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye. The campaign had raised $30,531 toward a $50,000 goal as of Monday, Nov. 2. Any money left over after covering the funeral and memorial expenses will go into a trust for Wright’s niece, Sami, whom the organizers described as his pride and joy.