Ellen DeGeneres Reveals Death of Mainstay on Her Talk Show

Ellen DeGeneres is mourning the sudden death of former The Ellen DeGeneres Show producer Matthew Wright, who died at 52.

In an Instagram post on Nov. 2, DeGeneres shared a video of herself speaking out about Wright’s passing. “He was an amazing guy,” she said, visibly emotional. “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 the show that — I mean, everyone loved him.”

The former talk show host then declared, “I loved him. And it’s just shocking — it’s shocking.”

Wright notably worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 16 years. Other shows he worked for included The Sally Jesse Raphael Show, The View, Soap Talk, The Jennifer Hudson Show, and The Drew Barrymore Show.

In a GoFundMe set up for Wright’s loved ones, it was revealed that the late producer passed away in an “unfathomable tragedy” while working remotely in Los Angeles on Oct. 30.

“In an unfathomable tragedy, Matt Wright passed away Oct 30th while working remotely in Los Angeles,” the GoFundMe reads. “His husband, father, sister and niece are in New York, desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye. We’re asking for all of his friends, who Matt loved so fully, to help the family at this time. As many of you know, Matt & 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.”

The GoFundMe further states, “The light of every room, Matt curated a beautiful life, menu by menu, sunset by sunset, person by person. He will be remembered for being everything everyone loved — sweetly stubborn and stubbornly sweet, persistently curious and curiously persistent, profoundly loving and lovingly profound.”

He is survived by his husband Justin Fusella, his father David Wright, his sister Mandy Wright, his niece Samantha Wright, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. “The sun may have prematurely set for our magical Matty, but his memory lives on in all of the sky’s vibrant colors. He would want everyone to remember his most important rule of living — don’t forget to course it out.”

The fundraiser, to which DeGeneres donated $5,000, has raised more than $96,000.