On Saturday, it was reported that the body of Friends star Matthew Perry was found at his home, drowned in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home. He was just 54 years old.
Local law reinforcement arrived at Perry’s home on 4pm on Saturday and found him to be unresponsive, but no cause of death has been cited and no foul play is suspected. No drugs were found at the scene, and cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner at a later date. Perry’s problems with drugs were fairly well-known, having gone to rehab 16 times, something he shared about in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
Perry’s iconic role of Chandler Bing on NBC‘s hit sitcom, Friends, led to a career in films like Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and Serving Sara (2002), but Perry continued to thrive on television with roles on Aaron Sorkin‘s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and a reboot of The Odd Couple from 2015 to 2017.
Perry was born in Massachusetts on August 19, 1969 to a Canadian journalist mother and an American father, who was an actor and model, moving to L.A. when he was 15 to live with the latter. Perry appeared on a number of short-lived television shows before being cast for the pilot on Friends, that show running for ten years and 236 episodes, of which Perry appeared on all. In 2021, the cast of Friends reunited for Friends: The Reunion, an HBO Max special.
Warners Bros. Television Group, the producer of Friends, released the statement: “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family. 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.”
NBC also released a statement to the L.A. Times: “We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry. He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations.”
The Friends Instagram page posted a picture with its own tribute to the star.
There was an outpouring of grief from Perry’s friends and colleagues and fans alike over the past 24 hours.
