Updated November 7, 2026, 9:51 a.m. ET
The cause of death of longtime Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producer Matthew Wright has been revealed.
Wright, who often appeared on camera with his host, died Oct. 30 at age 52 of cardiopulmonary arrest, or cardiac arrest, according to a death certificate obtained by People magazine.
The certificate also listed hypertension (high blood pressure) as the underlying cause and obstructive sleep apnea and class II obesity as contributing factors, the outlet reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner for comment.
Ellen DeGeneres paid tribute to Wright in a video shared on Instagram on November 2 and donated $5,000 to his GoFundMe fundraiser. She shared that the two were planning to start another project together before her sudden death.
“He was an amazing guy. He was funny. My God, he made me laugh,” she said. “He surprised me with the things he did all the time. He was smart. He was kind…everyone loved him.”
Ellen imagines Matthew Wright and Stephen “tWitch” Boss dancing
DeGeneres called Wright “the glue to our whole family” on the show. She offered her condolences to her husband, Justin, and spoke about Wright’s friendship with the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who died at age 40 in 2022. She imagined the two together again, “dancing and laughing.”
The tribute then transitioned to a montage of memorable clips from his on-screen appearances in the beloved series.
The Leman family is raising funds to bring Wright home to New York for his funeral and to hold a memorial in Los Angeles. Any remaining money will go into a trust for her niece, Sami, organizers wrote.
“His husband, father, sister and niece are in New York, desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye. We are asking all of his friends, who Matt loved so much, to help the family at this time,” the fundraiser’s description read. “As many of you know, Matt and Justin were both laid off this summer. And the unexpected costs of Matt’s return home, funeral and memorial service are impossible for the family to bear.”
Fundraiser organizers remembered that Wright ordered an extra appetizer so everyone at the table could share.
“And when you’re eating dinner and you see a sunset, know that Matt is looking down, loving you, but extremely disappointed in what you ordered,” they wrote.
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