Matthew Wright, an executive producer of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" who often appeared on camera with its host, died Oct. 30. He was 52.
Wright was working remotely in Los Angeles when he died in what was described as an "unfathomable tragedy," according to a GoFundMe set up for his family. The organizers did not give a cause of death.
In a Nov. 2 tribute on Instagram, DeGeneres – who donated $5,000 to the GoFundMe – opened up about the loss and said she and Wright were getting ready to start another project together before his sudden death.
"He was an amazing guy. He was funny. God, he made me laugh," she said. "He would surprise me with things that he did all the time. He was smart. He was kind…everyone loved him."
DeGeneres called Wright "the
glue to our entire family" at the show. She offered her condolences to his husband, Justin, and spoke of Wright's friendship with the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss, who died aged 40 in 2022. She pictured the two together again, "dancing and laughing."
The tribute then cut to a montage of memorable clips of his on-screen features on the beloved show.
The Leman family is raising money to bring Wright home to New York for his funeral and to hold a memorial in Los Angeles. Any money left over will go into a trust for his niece, Sami, the organizers wrote.
"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," reads the fundraiser description. "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 fundraiser's organizers remembered Wright ordering an extra appetizer for everyone at the table to share.
"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," they wrote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ellen DeGeneres' longtime show producer dies at 52 in 'unfathomable tragedy'
