Ellen DeGeneres has broken down in tears in a new Instagram video as she confirmed that Matthew Wright, the longtime executive producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died suddenly at the age of 52.

In the clip, posted on Monday, DeGeneres described Wright as 'the glue to our entire family' on the daytime programme, which ran for 19 seasons until 2022 and helped make her one of the biggest names on US television.

Wright died on 30 October while working from home in Los Angeles, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support his husband and relatives in New York. No cause of death has been made public, and the circumstances have not been independently verified.

'He Was Funny. God, He Made Me Laugh'

'He was an amazing guy,' DeGeneres said in the video, appearing 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.'

She said she was 'shocked' by the news and revealed that the pair had been planning to work together again on another project before his death.

With her voice breaking, DeGeneres also recalled Wright's close friendship with Stephen 'Twitch' Boss, the show's DJ, who died in December 2022 aged 40. 'So now he and Twitch are together, dancing and laughing,' she said.

Colleagues Pay Tribute to Matthew Wright

Andy Lassner, a fellow executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show who now works on The Jennifer Hudson Show, shared photos on Instagram of himself with Wright taken during a Halloween taping of that programme.

'These photos were taken Thursday, while we were taping our Halloween show. Matt came by to visit. A few hours later, he was gone,' Lassner wrote. 'We are all in shock. He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being.'

Lassner said Wright had flown between Los Angeles and New York almost every weekend to care for his mother before she died. 'My heart breaks for his husband, Justin, his family, and all of us who loved him,' he added. 'We should have had so much more time with him.'

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Fundraiser Launched To Help Wright's Family

The GoFundMe page, which describes Wright's death as an 'unfathomable tragedy', says he and his husband were both laid off in the summer. It says the costs of transporting his body home, holding a funeral and organising a memorial are 'impossible for the family to bear'.

Wright is survived by his husband, Justin Fusella, and relatives in New York, who are 'desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye', the appeal states. It urges donations and asks friends to share memories of his 'huge heart'.

'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,' it reads.

Sixteen Years Behind The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Wright joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2006 and stayed until it ended in 2022. IMDb lists him as a producer and later executive producer on the programme.

His credits also include Ellen's Game of Games, on which he worked in 2017 and 2018, the 2009 special Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show and the SoapNet series SoapTalk from 2002 to 2006.

Marking the show's final episode on Instagram in 2022, Wright wrote that he had 'made so many best friends' and even 'fell in love thanks to this show'. 'I will forever be grateful to @theellenshow for taking a chance on me and changing my life!' he added.

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