Ex-Ellen executive producer Matthew Wright dies at 52

Matthew Wright, a longtime executive producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” has died at 52, according to reports from ABC News, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and TheWrap.

Ellen DeGeneres paid tribute to Wright in a tearful video posted to Instagram on Monday, according to Yahoo Entertainment, which reported that she called him “the glue to our entire family.”

Andy Lassner, another producer who worked on the show, also paid tribute. “He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being,” Lassner said, according to reports of his post.

Wright worked on the daytime talk show from 2006 until it ended in 2022, according to the entertainment trade reports. The show ran for 19 seasons on U.S. television.

A GoFundMe campaign launched for Wright’s family described his death as an “unfathomable tragedy.” The fundraiser said Wright died while working remotely in Los Angeles and that his family lives in New York. It said the costs of bringing him home and holding a funeral were too much for the family to bear.

Reports differ on the day of his death. Some outlets say he died Friday. Lassner’s post said Wright was seen at a set visit on Thursday, only hours before his death, according to the reports.

None of the reports reviewed by Canada News Media gave a cause of death, and no official statement from his family on the circumstances had been published as of Tuesday morning. Canada News Media is not reporting any cause until it is confirmed by the family or an official source.

Wright’s name began trending in Canada on Monday as the tributes spread, with more than 50,000 searches on Google Trends Canada over the past day.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show premiered in 2003 and ended its run in May 2022.

Canada News Media will update this story when the family or other official sources provide more information.

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Sources: ABC News, Variety, TheWrap.