Matt Wright’s family revealed he died suddenly “peacefully in his sleep” while in Los Angeles on Friday. He was 52 years old.
The former executive producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” shared the new details about her “sudden” death via a GoFundMe statement.
Wright’s family has requested financial support to help raise funds to transport his body to his family in New York and cover funeral costs, both of which are “unexpected costs” that are “impossible for the family to bear.”
“If Matt has ever made you laugh, said a word of encouragement just when you needed it, or ordered one appetizer too many for the entire table to enjoy, now is the time to return the favor,” the statement read.
Additional funds will be donated to Wright’s “pride and joy”, his niece Samantha.
As of Wednesday, the page raised more than $94,000, and Ellen DeGeneres, 68, also donated $5,000.
Wright worked for DeGeneres for 16 years from 2006 until the show’s season finale in 2022. Over the years, Wright appeared on the show for comedy bits.
DeGeneres mourned Wright in an emotional Instagram video Monday, sharing that the producer was the glue that held her former daytime show together.
“My God, he was an amazing guy,” she said. “He made me laugh, he surprised me with the things he did all the time. He was smart, he was nice… I mean, everyone loved him. I loved him. And it’s just shocking, it’s shocking.”
DeGeneres told her followers that she and Wright were set to work on an unnamed project before his tragic death, also adding that he was close to the late Stephen “Twitch” Boss, who was a DJ on his show.
Boss committed suicide at the age of 40 in December 2022.
“So now he and Twitch are together, dancing and laughing,” she said.
Wright was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on December 31, 1973, and “grew up in a large Italian family that fostered his love of food, partying, and impassioned speeches,” according to GoFundMe.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from New Paltz State University in New York, before moving to the Big Apple to launch his career in television.
According to Wright’s obituary, he began his career with an internship with “The Sally Jesse Raphael Show,” a long-running daytime show that ran from 1983 to 2002.
Eventually, he moved to Los Angeles and got a job on the early 2000s talk show “Soap Talk” with hosts Lisa Rinna and Ty Treadway before working for DeGeneres.
Her lengthy resume also included “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” “The View” and “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
In addition to her niece, Samantha, Wright is survived by her husband, Justin Fusella, her father, David Wright, and her sister, Mandy Wright.
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