US actor Matthew Perry, famous for his role as Chandler Bing in the popular ’90s TV sitcom Friends, has passed away at the age of 54. Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles residence, according to law enforcement sources cited by various US media outlets.
Friends, which chronicled the lives of six young friends living in New York City, aired from 1994 to 2004. The series’ final episode attracted 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, which initially broke the news of Perry’s death, indicated that the actor was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub at his home in the Pacific Palisades area.
Warner Bros, the production company behind Friends, paid tribute to Perry, describing him as a “true gift to us all.” Born in Massachusetts in 1969, Perry spent his childhood in Ottawa, Canada, where he attended elementary school with Justin Trudeau, who would later become the Canadian prime minister.
Trudeau shared his condolences, reminiscing about their schoolyard days and recognizing the joy Perry brought to people worldwide. Perry relocated to Los Angeles as a teenager and appeared as Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys, with roles in other shows like Growing Pains. However, he achieved international stardom with his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, a character known for his witty one-liners and goofy antics alongside his roommate, Joey Tribbiani. This role earned Perry an Emmy nomination in 2002.
Despite his fame, Perry struggled with addiction to painkillers and alcohol during the peak of his career, necessitating multiple visits to rehabilitation clinics. In 2016, he disclosed that he couldn’t recall three years of filming Friends due to substance abuse. Perry had experienced health issues, including a burst colon in 2018 linked to his drug use, which required several surgeries.
Entertainment reporter Sean Mandell described the news of Perry’s passing as shocking and noted that Perry played a pivotal role in the success of Friends. He was a character who combined humor with genuine heart and groundedness.
Perry also had roles in films like Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, and The Whole Nine Yards, but he never found a project that matched the immense success of Friends. His later TV work earned critical acclaim, including his role as Joe Quincy in Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing, which led to two Emmy nominations for outstanding guest actor in a drama series in 2003 and 2004. Perry played the lead role in Sorkin’s later series, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, and he wrote and produced his own show called Mr. Sunshine, in which he also starred. His final significant TV project, apart from the Friends reunion, was a TV reboot of The Odd Couple, which ran for three seasons before being canceled.
Matthew Perry’s Friends co-star Maggie Wheeler, who portrayed Janice, Chandler’s ex-girlfriend, was the first of his colleagues to pay public tribute to the actor, celebrating the joy he brought to so many throughout his too-short life.
Other colleagues, including Morgan Fairchild, Selma Blair, and Lucy Davis, also expressed their sorrow and admiration for Perry, highlighting his talent and kindness.
Perry’s last Instagram post, shared just a few days ago, depicted him relaxing in a rooftop pool and has since received an outpouring of tributes from his fans. Perry is survived by his parents, John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Perry, who separated when he was an infant, and five half-siblings. He never married and had no children.