Friend’s Chandler, Matthew Perry, Dies at 54

54-year-old Matthew Perry, the renowned Chandler in TV sitcom Friends, was found dead in a hot tub in his house in Los Angeles on Saturday, a representative for the actor and law enforcement officials told NBC News.

The Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division is still investigating the incident, as per law enforcement.

Perry is not believed to have died because of a foul play, however, an official cause of death has yet to be released.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey told CNN a 911 call came in at 4:07 pm for a water rescue emergency. Humphrey said it is unclear what body of water it was.

A Heart-Shattering Death

 

The startling news has casted a feeling of agony over all those who loved him as Chandler and those who got lucky to love him as Mathew, as well.

Commenting on Perry’s death, Friend’s producer Warner Bros Television Group paid tribute to “our dear friend” and “an incredibly gifted actor”.

“The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans,” it wrote.

PM Justin Trudeau, his classmate, took to X to mourn the loss of his friend writing “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 to them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.”

 

Early Life

Perry was born in Massachusetts in 1969 to an American father and a Canadian mother. Following his parents’ divorce, Perry lived in Canada with his mother who worked as a press aide to Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

In an interview with Jimmy Kennel in 2017, the renowned actor revealed that he along with a friend “beat up” Justin Trudeau when he was in fifth grade.

“I decided to end my argument with him when he was put in charge of an entire army,” he wrote in his bestselling 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

Out of his passion for tennis, the renowned star became a top-ranked tennis player in Canada. Later on, Perry went to spend his teen years with his father in Los Angeles. The actor’s father passed on his love for acting to his soon-to-be-world-famous star.

Dark side of the Friend’s Star

 

What started as a jetski accident turned into the biggest curse of Perry’s life.

Following this accident in 1997, and due to taking pain medications, Perry developed an addiction for these medications.

Not only did this addiction cost him $9m to stay sober, but it also wiped away three years of his time on Friends from his memory.

“I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128lbs, I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people – and that’s why I can’t watch the show, because I was brutally thin,” he said.

Perry later admitted he had suffered severe anxiety “every night” while filming the show and said he felt nothing when the show ended.

In 2019, opiate abuse resulted in his colon exploding and he was put in a two-week coma. It took doctors 14 surgeries to repair the damage.

“At this point in my life, the words of gratitude pour out of me because I should be dead, and yet somehow I am not,” he wrote in Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

Career

 

Year 1979 marked the beginning of the world-famous star’s journey.

His first role was a small part in the drama “240-Robert”. Then, he appeared in shows like “Charles in Charge,” “Silver Spoons” and “The Tracey Ullman Show.”

Having lived with his mother in Canada away from his father, Perry moved to Hollywood, with the hope of reconnecting with his father. He was eventually spotted at a dinner, “charming a bunch of young women”, by director William Richert, who left a note asking him to be in his next movie, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, alongside River Phoenix.

24-year-old-not –yet-known Perry co-starred in Friends with Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox.

Commenting on how hard was it to cast the character of Chandler, co-creator David Crane said “Marta [Kauffman, co-creator] and I were thinking Chandler is just poorly written,” adding “Then Matthew came in and you went, ‘Oh, well, there you go. Done. Done. That’s the guy.’”

Perry’s role in Friends nominated him for an Emmy Award once and his role as lawyer Joe Quincy on The West Wing nominated him twice

Alongside acting in Friends, Perry starred in films including Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek, Three to Tango with Neve Campbell and The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis. He also played small roles in Ally McBeal and Scrubs.

“I wanted to be famous so badly. You want the attention, you want the bucks, and you want the best seat in the restaurant. I didn’t think what the repercussions would be,” said Perry in a 2002 interview with the New York Times.

” I guess I’ll be the one who dies first,” said Chandler in season 9 only to be the first one of the iconic friend group to say his farewell to the world.

Not only his name will be carved on his gravestone, but also in history and people’s mind.

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