Friends television comedic performer Matthew Perry passed away at the age of 54.
US actor Matthew Perry, widely recognized for his portrayal of the witty Chandler Bing in the beloved ’90s TV series Friends, has passed away at the age of 54.
Law enforcement sources in Los Angeles confirmed the actor was discovered deceased at his residence.
Friends, chronicling the lives of six close-knit friends in New York City, aired from 1994 to 2004. Its final episode garnered a staggering 52.5 million viewers in the US, making it the most-watched TV episode of the 2000s.
Reports from the LA Times and TMZ, the first to break the news of Perry’s passing, indicated that he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his residence.
According to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department, first responders were dispatched to an address in the Pacific Palisades area for a “water emergency” of unspecified nature, without disclosing Perry’s name.
Warner Bros, the production company behind the enduring show cherished by successive generations of viewers through global reruns, hailed Perry as a “true gift to us all.”
Born in Massachusetts in 1969, Perry grew up in Ottawa, Canada, where he attended elementary school alongside Justin Trudeau, who would later become the Prime Minister of Canada.
In response to the news, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared, “Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.”
Perry relocated to Los Angeles during his teenage years. He gained recognition for his role as Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys and also made appearances in various shows, including Growing Pains.
However, it was his portrayal on Friends that catapulted him to international stardom. The series, co-starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow, became one of the most successful in television history.
Perry was cast as the socially awkward Chandler Bing, renowned for his sharp wit and his endearing camaraderie with his roommate, Joey Tribbiani. This role earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002.
During his peak fame, Matthew Perry faced a challenging battle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, seeking help in rehab facilities on multiple occasions.
In 2016, he candidly revealed to BBC Radio 2 that due to his struggles with substance abuse, he couldn’t recollect three years of filming for Friends.
In a recent interview, Perry explained why he chose not to watch the show. He stated, “I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go, ‘Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine.’ I could tell season by season, by how I looked. That’s why I don’t wanna watch it, because that’s what I see. But I think I’m going to start to watch it because it’s been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations.”
Entertainment reporter Sean Mandell described the prevailing sentiment in Los Angeles as a mixture of “shock” and a universal sense of disbelief over Perry’s passing.
He shared with BBC News that Perry played a pivotal role in the success of Friends and was someone who occupied a central position in the show’s dynamics. “His character had the perfect combination of wit, but also true heart and it was grounded,” he said.
Perry, seen on the far left in this 1997 photo with his Friends co-stars, ventured into the world of cinema with appearances in several films like Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, and the Whole Nine Yards. However, none of these projects came close to the monumental success and fame he achieved through Friends.
In his later television endeavors, Perry garnered notable recognition. His portrayal of associate White House counsel Joe Quincy in Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing earned him two Emmy nominations for outstanding guest actor in a drama series in 2003 and 2004. He then took on the lead role in Sorkin’s subsequent series, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, and went on to create and produce his own show called Mr. Sunshine, in which he also played the central character.
In 2003, Matthew Perry and British actress Kelly Reilly performed a scene from the West End play Sexual Perversity in Chicago at The Comedy Theatre in London.
His final notable TV venture, apart from the Friends reunion, was a reboot of The Odd Couple, which aired on American screens for three seasons. In 2017, Perry revealed on Twitter that he learned of its cancellation upon arriving on set, finding his image on the stage door painted over in green.
Maggie Wheeler, known for her role as Chandler’s troublesome ex-girlfriend Janice in Friends, was the first among Perry’s co-stars to publicly honor him. She expressed that the joy Perry brought to many lives during his “too short lifetime” will endure.
On Instagram, Wheeler shared, “I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Morgan Fairchild, who portrayed Perry’s on-screen mother, the erotic novel writer Nora Bing, expressed her heartbreak over the untimely passing of her “son”, Matthew Perry. She added, “The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock.”
Actress Selma Blair, known for her role in Cruel Intentions, described Perry as her “oldest boy friend,” emphasizing the deep love they shared. She said, “All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”
Just five days ago, Matthew Perry posted his final Instagram update. Eerily, the photo he shared depicted himself in a hot tub.
