Matthew Perry passed away at the age of 54 last Saturday, October 28. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at Perry’s Pacific Palisades home at 4:07 p.m. and pronounced him deceased before first responders arrived. He was found submerged under water in a jacuzzi by an anonymous bystander. No cause of death has been revealed at this time.
Perry was a beloved actor and comedian, famous for bringing to life the character Chandler Bing on the hit 90s sitcom, Friends, contributing to 10 seasons of the show and other projects like romcom 17 Again and drama, The Ron Clark Story. Perry was known on and off the screen for his humor, embodying the sarcastic character of Chandler Bing.
In November of 2022, Perry released Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, a memoir about his story and long battle with addiction. Perry even revealed that his colon burst from opioid overuse a few years back and he was in a coma for 2 weeks after and then became hospitalized for 5 months. Over the course of his career, he had been struggling in and out of rehab, relapsing many times, but in 2011 decided to prioritize his sobriety. Later, in 2013, he opened the Perry House, a sober living home for men in Malibu.
When speaking of his journey, Perry said, “I’m still working through it personally, but the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say, ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.’ So, I do that, whenever I can.” Because of the large impact he had being cast in Friends, he knows he will be remembered as Chandler Bing, but stated that “it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people.” He appreciated the success and accomplishments he had in Hollywood, but his priorities clearly lay in being able to help people who were going through the same thing as he did.
In The New York Times, the cast of Friends – Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – released a joint statement saying, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.” The cast has decided not to comment any further on the topic and send love to Matthew’s family.
Matthew Perry did so much for the world of television with his character portrayals, but more importantly did so much work for addictions and those struggling with alcohol and drugs. His effort in the prevention of substance abuse will not go unremembered.
