Actor Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the television series "Friends," was a beloved figure. He was 54 years old.
Using law enforcement sources, the Los Angeles Times reported that Perry perished in an apparent drowning accident at his Los Angeles home on Saturday.
The people informed the LA Times that there is no suspicion of foul play.
"Our dear friend Matthew Perry passed away, and we are devastated. Warner Bros. Television Group released a statement to CNN stating, "Matthew was an extraordinarily gifted actor and an enduring member of the Warner Bros”. He left a lasting legacy in the hearts of countless people, and his comedic genius was felt all over the world.
We send our condolences to his loved ones, family, and all of his ardent admirers on this terrible day.
A law enforcement source told CNN that the Los Angeles Police Department is looking into a death that occurred at an address connected to the actor.
A 911 call for a water rescue emergency was received at 4:07 p.m., according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey, who spoke with CNN. It's unclear what body of water it was, according to Humphrey.
Beginning
Perry was raised in Ottawa, Canada, following his parents' divorce. He was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, to an actor father and a journalist mother.
Perry developed into one of Canada's top tennis players by pursuing his love of the game throughout his childhood. After moving to Los Angeles as a teenager to live with his father, the younger Perry also became interested in acting, just like his father.
Perry's first acknowledged performance was a brief cameo in the 1979 drama "240-Robert." From then on, he was given additional 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" opposite River Phoenix. The sitcom "Second Chances," which was eventually renamed "Boys Will Be Boys," starred Perry the year before the movie's premiere. It told the story of a man who dies and comes back to teach his younger self, who is played by Perry.
Although the show didn't succeed in drawing viewers, Perry went on to play increasingly prominent parts in TV shows like "Growing Pains," "Who's The Boss," and "Beverly Hills, 90210."
'Friend'-ly notoriety
However, his breakthrough role was playing the charming and sardonic Chandler on the sitcom "Friends" in 1994.
He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2002 for his quirky role. In addition, he received four nominations for the esteemed TV acting award, two of which were related to his role as Joe Quincy on "The West Wing."
Together with Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, and Lisa Kudrow, Perry starred in the comedy "Friends," which was set in a close-knit community of New York City friends.
The group achieved a level of fame seldom seen in television or anywhere else, and they became mainstays of NBC's unrivaled “Must-See TV” lineup.
The actors famously bargained together to become some of the highest paid actors on a television series at the time, and off screen, they grew as close as their on-screen personas.
Perry's career took off thanks to the show, and he quickly secured big-screen parts in "Almost Heroes" (1998), "Fools Rush In" (1997), and "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000).
Perry starred in several TV shows, including "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "Mr. Sunshine," and "The Odd Couple," but "Friends" was his most well-known.
Memoirs of Perry
His memoir, "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 abuse of opioids caused a colon rupture. He wrote that he was given a two percent chance of survival by the doctors, and that he spent two weeks in a coma before spending additional 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 surgeries to help repair all of the abdominal damage.
Regarding the book, he said to People last year, "What I'm most surprised with is my resilience." "How I'm going to recover from all of this horrible and suffering." I didn't omit anything because I wanted to tell the story—even though it can be unsettling to reveal all of your secrets in a book. It has everything in it.
Even at the height of his career, Perry battled addiction, and he was open about it.
In a CBC interview 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."
He said, "Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine," so I didn't watch the show and haven't watched it since. By looking at myself, I could tell the season. That's what I see, which is why I don't want to watch it.
In 2018, Perry started dating Molly Hurwitz, a literary manager, and the two became engaged in 2020. "Sometimes things just don't work out and this is one of those times," Perry said in a statement when they called it quits on their engagement in 2021. Best wishes to Molly.
Respects
The official "Friends" Instagram account honored Matthew Perry with a heartfelt post on Saturday night, stating, "We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry's passing." To all of us, he was a genuine gift.
What a loss, posted actress Maggie Wheeler on Instagram. Wheeler portrayed Chandler's intermittent girlfriend Janice on the show.
She said, "Mathew Perry, the world will miss you." Your too brief life will never die, nor will the happiness you brought to so many. We had many creative moments together, and I feel incredibly fortunate.
Perry is Selma Blair's "oldest boy friend" on Instagram, and Blair is also a guest on "Friends." Matthew Perry was a huge fan, but mine was the best. Each and every day. I had unrestricted love for him. He me too. I'm shattered, too. Deeply wounded. Matty, happy dreams.
On X (formerly Twitter), Michael Rapaport, who portrayed Gary in four episodes of the show, stated that Perry was "Always so nice, cool, chill & talented." You will always be a part of American culture, he continued.
Yvette Nicole Brown, who costarred with Perry on "Odd Couple," posted 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 added in her letter. It's too young, 54, to go.
Perry's parents are still alive.
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