Wright worked on the show for 16 years, from 2006 until it ended, and often appeared on camera alongside host Ellen DeGeneres. His earlier credits include "SoapTalk" in 2002 and "Ellen's Game of Games" in 2017. In New York, where the family is based, he is survived by his husband, Justin, his father, his sister and his niece.

DeGeneres, 68, posted a tearful tribute video on Instagram on Monday. She called Wright "the glue to our entire family at the Ellen Show" and described him as amazing. Reports differ on her exact words, with others recording her as saying "a good guy" or listing "funny," "smart" and "kind." She said the two had been "working on a project together" that was "supposed to start" before he died, and she offered condolences to Justin and the family.

She also said Wright was close to Stephen "tWitch" Boss, the show's DJ, who died in December 2022 at age 40. Reports at the time said Boss died by suicide. DeGeneres said Wright and Boss are "together, dancing, and laughing." USA Today reported that she donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe set up for Wright's family.

The fundraiser calls his death "an unfathomable tragedy" and says the unexpected costs were "impossible for the family to bear." It has a goal of $50,000, to cover transporting Wright's remains to New York, funeral costs, a memorial in Los Angeles and a trust for his niece, Sami. Any money left over will go into that trust. Wright and Justin were both laid off in the summer.

Andy Lassner, a longtime producer and Wright's former colleague, posted a selfie of the two taken shortly before Wright died. He wrote that Wright had visited him on the set of "The Jennifer Hudson Show" hours earlier. "A few hours later, he was gone. We are all in shock," Lassner said, calling Wright a "brilliant producer and an even better human being." Lassner also remembered Wright's devotion to his mother before her death and his deep love for his friends.