Ellen DeGeneres' Former Producer Matthew Wright's Cause of Death Determined After Sudden Passing
Wright produced Ellen's show for 16 years.
Nov. 9 2026, Published 5:12 p.m. ET
The cause of death for Matthew Wright, former producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has been uncovered, RadarOnline.com can report.
The 52-year-old suddenly passed in his sleep at his Los Angeles home October 30. Medical examiners later revealed Wright died from cardiopulmonary arrest caused by hypertension.
GoFundMe Launched
Wright's family launched a fundraiser.
"Obstructive sleep apnea and Class II obesity" were given as secondary contributors, according to a publication.
Following his death, a GoFundMe was launched for the producer's loved ones.
The funds will pay for a memorial, funeral, and transporting his body to his family. Any money that is left over will be put in a trust for Wright's niece, whom the fundraiser described as "Matt's pride & joy."
"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 GoFundMe read.
Speaking on Wright, his family said that he was the "light of every room" who "curated a beautiful life."
"He will be remembered for being everything everyone loved," it continued. "Sweetly stubborn and stubbornly sweet, persistently curious and curiously persistent, profoundly loving and lovingly profound."
Ellen Faces Backlash Over $5,000 Donation
DeGeneres donated $5,000.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Ellen DeGeneres, who has a net worth of around $500million, donated $5,000 to the fundraiser.
However, the donation amount caused DeGeneres to receive swift backlash.
"She could've easily cleared the entire amount and then reached out to the family to see what else they needed and paid for that, too," one X user posted.
"Big spender. She was crying her eyes out so much, why didn't she just pay the entire 50k," another person wrote, referencing her tearful video in which she announced her former producer's tragic death.
Tearful Social Media Tribute
DeGeneres honored her late producer in an emotional video.
In the video, DeGeneres praised her late colleague.
"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," the teary DeGeneres said. "Everyone loved him. I loved him. And it's just shocking, it's shocking."
The 68-year-old additionally hinted their collaborative work hadn't been done, revealing they had planned to embark on a "project" together.
'We Lost a Good Guy'
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Wright isn't the first Ellen DeGeneres crew member to have passed since the show ended.
"And to Justin, his husband, and his family....I'm so sorry. Cause we lost a good guy. And he and tWitch were so close. So now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing," the former talk show host stated.
Stephen "tWitch" Boss was the DJ on Ellen's show from 2014 to May 2022, when it concluded. Only seven months later, Boss tragically took his own life.
