The star of the hit series “Friends” – Matthew Perry – has just passed away at his home at the age of 54, leaving deep condolences for friends, relatives and fans around the world. On social networking forums, many people expressed that Matthew’s passing made them feel like they had lost a friend.
“I’m Chandler Bing. I often make jokes when I feel uncomfortable.” Chandler’s humorous lines have never been so tinged with sadness. Matthew Perry has successfully portrayed the image of a humorous, witty Chandler, becoming a part of the youth of many generations of audiences who love the Friends series.
On October 29, the Supervisory Commander of the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to CBS Los Angeles that Matthew Perry did not have any reactions in the hot tub at his home in the Pacific Palisades area, Los Angeles. The actor was declared dead at the scene. The police department said Sunday that the cause of Perry’s death has not been determined, and there were no obvious signs of trauma.
Matthew Perry was born in 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the son of actor John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Marie Langford, a journalist who worked as press secretary for Pierre Trudeau – the prime minister of Canada at that time. Therefore, the actor spent his adult life in both Canada and the United States.
He began his career in Hollywood as a child actor appearing in the television series Beverly Hills 90210 and made his debut in the coming-of-age drama starring River Phoenix – A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.
Thanks to the success of the Friends series released in 1994, Matthew and the main cast suddenly became stars. Since then, when mentioning the name Matthew Perry, the audience will immediately think of the image of the character Chandler who often makes jokes with his characteristic charming expressions. This role also helped him win an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002.
In an interview with CBS News in 2015, Matthew recalled his years with the Friends series: “It was a wonderful time in my life. Many viewers came to see me and I know for sure that at the time we shot the movie, they weren’t even born yet. And they were just surprised that I looked so old.”
Years after the finale of the Friends series, Perry appeared with his former co-stars in the 2021 HBO Max reunion special. Here, he expressed his sincere thoughts and deep emotions about the relationship between the members after filming ended: “At a party or at any gathering, if some of us happen to meet each other, that’s great. We sat together all night and that was complete.”
After Friends ended filming, although he did not have a globally famous role like Chandler, Matthew Perry still showed a stable acting performance and took on leading roles in many television series and movies for several decades. including Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Fools Rush In, Growing Pains, Ally McBeal, 17 Again, The Whole Nine Yards, The West Wing and the reboot of the movie The Odd Couple. Notably, Matthew received both a Golden Globe nomination and an Emmy nomination for his role in the 2007 miniseries, The Ron Clark Story.
Although the Friends series brought Matthew Perry great success, he once struggled with addiction. The actor has been outspoken about the problem of alcohol abuse and Vicodin (a painkiller that when combined with alcohol causes a feeling of euphoria) during his career. The actor also went to rehab in 2001. Years later, he turned his old Malibu home into a facility for men recovering from alcoholism called Perry House, which operated until 2015. . In 2021, Perry revealed that he spent $9 million on his rehab journey.
Although the character of Chandler Bing is a highlight in Matthew Perry’s career, in a 2022 interview on the Q with Tom Power podcast, he expressed his desire to be remembered for his contributions to society. , for those who have difficulty overcoming alcoholism like he did: “I want to be remembered as someone who lived a good life, who knew how to love, and who never stopped learning. And the most important thing for a guy like me is the desire to help people. That’s what I want”.
In his autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the late actor Matthew Perry also expressed similar aspirations: “I have gone through many ups and downs in life. I’m still learning how to get through all of that. But the greatest thing about myself is if an alcoholic came to me and said, “Can you help me?” and I would always reply: “Sure, I know how to help you. I will do it for you, even though I can’t always do it for myself!
“When I leave, I know that people will talk a lot about Friends, and I’m glad for that. I’m happy that I’ve done an excellent job as an actor… but when I’m gone, it would be great if people remembered me for what I did to help others, before they Remember Friends. I know it’s unlikely, but if it does, it would be great.”
Let’s look back at notable images of Matthew Perry throughout actor Matthew Perry’s career.
