The adored actor Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the television series “Friends,” has passed away. 54 was his age.
A law enforcement source informed CNN that Perry’s death is being looked into by Los Angeles police. The source said that while foul play is not suspected at this time, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is still looking into the event.
source : edition.cnn.com
The Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement sources, said that Perry passed away on Saturday in what seemed to be a drowning accident at his Los Angeles residence.
“We are very saddened by our beloved friend Matthew Perry’s loss. Warner Bros. Television Group stated in a statement to CNN that Matthew was “an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family.” His humorous brilliance had an international influence, and he will always be remembered in the hearts of many people. We offer our condolences to his family, loved ones, and all of his ardent supporters on this terrible day.
Spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, Brian Humphrey, told CNN that at 4:07 p.m., a 911 call about a water rescue emergency was received. According to Humphrey, it’s unknown which body of water that was.
Starting
Perry moved to live with her in Ottawa, Canada, when he was a little child after his parents separated. He was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, to an actor father and a journalist mother.
Perry followed his tennis interest as a child and rose to the top of the Canadian tennis rankings. After coming to Los Angeles as a teenager to live with his father, the younger Perry also became interested in acting, much like his father.
Perry’s first acknowledged performance was a brief cameo in the 1979 drama “240-Robert.” From then on, he was given further small roles in television programs such as “The Tracey Ullman Show,” “Silver Spoons,” and “Charles in Charge.”
When he was still in high school, he starred in the 1988 movie “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon” with River Phoenix. The comedy “Second Chances,” which was eventually renamed “Boys Will Be Boys,” featured Perry the year before the movie’s premiere. It told the story of a guy who dies and comes back to teach his younger self, who is portrayed by Perry.
Although the show didn’t succeed in drawing viewers, Perry went on to play more prominent parts in TV shows including “Growing Pains,” “Who’s The Boss,” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
However, his breakthrough role was as the charming and sardonic Chandler on the sitcom “Friends” in 1994.
He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2002 for his unique character. In addition, he had four nominations for the esteemed TV acting prize, two of which were related to his role as Joe Quincy on “The West Wing.”
CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, owns Warner Bros. Television, which produced the television series “Friends.”
Together with Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, and Lisa Kudrow, Perry appeared in the sitcom “Friends,” which was set in a close-knit community of New York City pals.
The trio achieved a degree of celebrity never seen in television or anywhere else, and they became mainstays of NBC’s unrivaled “Must-See TV” program.
The performers notably bargained together to become some of the best-paid actors on a television series at the time, and off screen, they became as close as their on-screen personas.
Perry’s career took off thanks to the program, and he quickly secured big-screen parts in “Almost Heroes” (1998), “Fools Rush In” (1997), and “The Whole Nine Yards” (2000). Although “Friends” was his most well-known TV show, Perry also
Memoirs of Perry
His book, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir,” was released in November 2022.
In it, Perry disclosed how, at the age of 49, his misuse of opioids caused a colon rupture. He said that he was given a two percent chance of life by the doctors and that he spent two weeks in a coma before spending further months in the hospital.
The actor acknowledged going to rehab 15 times over the years in an attempt to overcome his drug addiction, and he needed 14 operations to help heal all of the abdominal damage.
“My resilience is what surprises me the most,” he said to People last year, alluding to the book. “How I’m going to recover from all of this horrible suffering.” I didn’t exclude anything because I wanted to share the story—even if it might be unsettling to reveal all of your secrets in a book. It has everything in it.
Even at the height of his popularity, Perry battled addiction, and he was open about it.
In an interview with CBC last year, Perry said, “I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128 pounds, and 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.” “I haven’t watched the show, and I didn’t watch it because I could go, ‘Drinking, cocaine, drinking, opiates,'” he said. “I could tell from my appearance, season after season. I don’t want to watch it because of what I see in it.
Molly Hurwitz, a literary manager, and Perry started dating in 2018. In 2020, the two were engaged. In a statement at the time of their engagement’s termination in 2021, Perry said, “Sometimes things just don’t work out, and this is one of them.” I hope the best for Molly.
Memorials
We are saddened to hear of Matthew Perry’s demise, the official “Friends” Instagram account said in a moving tribute to Perry on Saturday night. He really was a blessing to all of us.
On her Instagram, Maggie Wheeler, who portrayed Chandler’s erratic lover Janice, said, “What a loss.”
She went on, “Mathew Perry, the world will miss you.” “The happiness you provided to so many people throughout your much too brief life will endure. We had so many creative moments together that I feel really grateful.
On Instagram, Selma Blair, who also starred on “Friends,” referred to Perry as her “oldest boy friend.” “Matthew Perry was adored by all of us, but particularly by me. Each and every day. My affection for him was unwavering. And I am him. I’m also broken. crushed to pieces. Matty, sweet dreams.
On X (previously Twitter), Michael Rapaport, who portrayed Gary in four episodes of the program, said that Perry was “always so nice, cool, chill, and talented.” “You are a part of American culture and will live on forever,” he said.
Yvette Nicole Brown, who costarred with Perry on “Odd Couple,” said on X that the “family suffered a great loss today.” The entertainment industry as a whole has
Perry “was a sweetheart who deserved more peace in this life,” the author said in her letter. It’s too young, 54, to depart.
Perry’s parents are still alive.
