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Ellen DeGeneres has shared a tearful tribute to her former show producer Matthew Wright, after his sudden death last week.
The 68-year-old former talk show host shared a video in which she initially struggled to deliver the news about Wright’s death, describing him as an ‘amazing guy’ who would routinely make her laugh when they were making The Ellen Show.
Wright is understood to have died on Friday (October 30) while working in Los Angeles, in what his family have described as an ‘unfathomable tragedy’ in a GoFundMe set up to cover his funeral expenses.
DeGeneres said of Wright in a video shared on Instagram: ‘God, he was an amazing guy. He made me laugh; he would surprise me with things he did all the time.
‘He was smart, he was kind… I mean, everyone loved him. I loved him. And it’s just shocking, it’s shocking.’
She went on to say that they had been working on a project together before his death, adding: ‘We’re going to miss him. He is and always will be the glue to our entire family at The Ellen Show.’
Becoming tearful, DeGeneres struggled to find the right words, sending her well wishes to Wright’s husband Justin and his family.
‘We lost a good guy. He was a good guy,’ she said, adding that he had been close to the late Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, who was a DJ on The Ellen Show before his death in 2022.
‘Now he and Twitch are together, dancing and laughing,’ she concluded, before the video played a series of clips of Wright from The Ellen Show.
Among the many comments under the post, which has been viewed over 15million times, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham wrote: ‘I’m so sorry for your loss and to see you in such grief. Sending you my love and holding your hand. Rest in deepest peace Matt.’
The GoFundMe set up in the wake of Wright’s death has asked for support during ‘an impossible time’, with a goal to raise $50,000 (£37,000), which has already been exceeded, with 380 donations at the time of publication.
The description on the fundraiser details how the page has been set up to help move Wright’s body from LA, where he died, to New York, where his family live and are ‘desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye’.
The GoFundMe bio adds: ‘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 and 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 appetisers for the enjoyment of the whole table, now is the time to repay the favour.’
The fundraiser description then concludes: ‘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.’
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