Heartbreaking news.
Matt Wright, executive producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died at 52.
His family described his sudden death on Friday, October 30 as “an unfathomable tragedy” on their GoFundMe page, writing:
“In an unfathomable tragedy, Matt Wright passed away Oct 30th while working remotely in Los Angeles. 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.
If Matt has ever made you laugh, said an encouraging word right when you needed it, or ordered one too many appetizers for the enjoyment of the whole table, now is the time to repay the favor. Please donate what you can and share this with anyone who’s been in the orbit of Matt’s huge heart. And when you’re at dinner and see a sunset, know that Matt is looking down, loving you, but wildly disappointed in what you ordered.”
CLICK HERE to see more from the GoFundMe page.
On Monday, November 2, Ellen DeGeneres shared a video mourning the loss on Instagram.
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In tears she told her followers:
“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. … Everyone loved him. I loved him. And it’s just shocking, it’s shocking,”
She continued:
“We’re going to miss him. He will always be the glue to our entire family at the Ellen show.”
In her concluding statements, she brought up another beloved Ellen Show fan favorite, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, in hopes that Matt and tWitch are together now:
“To Justin, his husband, and to his family, I’m so sorry. We lost a good guy. He and Twitch were so close, so now he and Twitch are together, dancing and laughing.
Fans remember, tWitch lost his life to suicide in 2022. It was a devastating loss for the entire Ellen Show community and audience, and now another unthinkable, far-too-soon death has left them in more mourning. So heartbreaking.
Watch the full video and some of Matt’s best moments on the show in a video memorial the show’s YouTube page put together below:
Matt was such a bright light on the show. And clearly to his adoring husband and family. May he rest in peace.
[Image via YouTube/Ellen Show.]
