Ellen DeGeneres in tears over ‘shocking’ death of producer Matthew Wright
Ellen DeGeneres is mourning the death of executive producer Matthew Wright, with whom she worked for 16 years on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Wright died on October 30, aged 52, “in an unfathomable tragedy” while working away from family in Los Angeles.
DeGeneres paid tribute to her producer, Wright. The Ellen DeGeneres Show/Instagram @ellendegeneres
DeGeneres shared an emotional message on Instagram, struggling to hold back tears as she remembered Wright.
“He was an amazing guy. He was funny. God, he made me laugh. He would surprise me with things that he did all the time. He was smart. He was kind. He was the part of our show that – I mean, everyone loved him,” she said.
“I loved him. And it’s just shocking – it’s shocking,” she continued, adding that the duo had been working on a new project together.
“We’re going to miss him. He is and always will be the glue to our entire family at the Ellen Show.”
Wright, one of the show’s executive producers, frequently appeared on-screen before the show ended in 2022, with DeGeneres’ tribute featuring footage of some of Wright’s best moments.
Andy Lassner, another former Ellen EP who now works on The Jennifer Hudson Show, remembered his former colleague on Instagram, sharing photos they had taken the day before Wright’s death.
“These photos were taken Thursday, while we were taping our Halloween show. Matt came by to visit. A few hours later, he was gone,” he said.
“We are all in shock. He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being.
“The way he looked after his mum, flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York practically every weekend before she died, showed what an incredible son he was.
“He gave that same depth of love to his friendships. My heart breaks for his husband, Justin, his family, and all of us who loved him.
Andy Lassner and Matthew Wright Instagram/@andylassner
“I was so lucky to work beside Matt for so many years and to call him my friend. We should have had so much more time with him.”
A GoFundMe campaign set up for Wright’s family said his husband, father, sister and niece were “desperate to be united for a proper goodbye” in New York, as he died “in an unfathomable tragedy” while working remotely on the other side of the country.
No further details on Wright’s cause of death are known.
“As many of you know, Matt and Justin were both laid off this summer. And the unexpected costs of getting Matt home, a funeral and a memorial are impossible for the family to bear,” it said.
The fundraiser had already raised beyond its $US50,000 ($71,400) goal at the time of publication.
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