# Ellen DeGeneres’ late producer Matt Wright’s secret health struggles revealed after TV veteran died in his sleep

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ellen-degeneres-late-producer-matt-wrights-secret-health-struggles-revealed-after-tv-veteran-died-in-his-sleep/
- Published: 2026-11-05T20:13:50+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T20:23:07+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://pagesix.com/2026/11/05/celebrity-news/ellen-degeneres-late-producer-matt-wrights-secret-health-struggles-revealed-after-death/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Matt Wright died aged 52 after privately experiencing heart problems.
- A fundraiser for his burial and memorials has nearly doubled its $50,000 goal.
- Ellen DeGeneres’s $5,000 donation drew online criticism.

## Summary

Matt Wright, a nine-time Emmy-winning television producer who worked for 16 years on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, died in his sleep in Los Angeles on 30 October, aged 52. People close to him said he had heart problems, but no official cause of death has been announced.

A fundraising page is helping return his body to his hometown in New York and fund memorials in New York and Los Angeles; any remaining money is intended for his niece. It launched with a $50,000 target and has raised nearly twice that, while DeGeneres donated $5,000, prompting criticism online and disappointment among some of Wright’s loved ones. Wright and his husband had both been laid off earlier in the summer, and Wright had also worked on “The View” and shows hosted by Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Hudson.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.