(Photo by Kevin Winter/Tonight Show/Getty Images for The Tonight Show)
Ellen DeGeneres was moved to tears as she shared the news of the death of Matthew Wright, a former executive producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The 68-year-old TV personality announced the loss to her fans on social media on Monday, speaking about her longtime colleague in an emotional video.
“He was an amazing guy,” Ellen said in a clip. “He was funny. God, he made me laugh. He would surprise me with things that he did all the time.”
She went on to describe the kind of person Matthew was, both on and off the set.
“He was smart, he was kind … I mean, everyone loved him,” she continued. “I loved him. And it’s just shocking, it’s shocking.”
The former daytime talk-show host also revealed that the two had been planning to collaborate on another project before his untimely death. The news made the loss even harder for her, as the pair had remained close since the show wrapped.
Ellen closed her message by reflecting on what Matthew meant to the people who worked alongside him. “We’re going to miss him. He is and always will be the glue to our entire family at the Ellen Show,” she concluded.
Matthew passed away on Friday, October 30, in Los Angeles. He was 52.
He served as executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 16 years, right up until the series came to an end in 2022. Over that time, he played a central role in shaping the long-running daytime program and worked closely with Ellen and the rest of the team behind the scenes.
When the show ended, Matthew shared his own reflections on his time there. “How do I even begin to sum up 16 years of my life?” he penned at the time. The late producer also thanked the daytime show for “taking a chance on me and changing my life!”
