Tributes paid to troubled star

Friends star Matthew Perry has died at the age of 54.

The actor reportedly found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, apparently having drowned. 

Sources told the TMZ website his body was discovered by his assistant yesteday morning after she returned from an errand, and that there were no drugs found at the scene nor any evidence of foul play.

Warner Bros, which produced the long-running sitcom – whose 2004 finale was seen by 52.5million viewers – described Perry as a ‘true gift to us all’.

Behind his success as the sarcastic Chandler Bing, Perry also had a troubled personal life.

At the height of his fame, where he was earning $1million an epsiode, he was battling addiction to painkillers and alcohol, which he spoke frankly about in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

In an interview last year, said he could not watch the sitcom that made his name because it reminded him of his troubles.

‘I haven't watched the show, because I could go, "Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine". I could tell season by season, by how I looked. That's why I don't wanna watch it, because that's what I see.’ 

He also struggled to find success outside of Friends, although his last TV project, a TV  reboot of The Odd Couple, ran for three seasons in the US, ending in 2017.

And on the big screen his biggest success was the 2000 crime comedy film The Whole Nine Yards,  in which he played a dentist who learns his neighbour, played by Bruce Willis, is a former mob hitman with a price on his head.  It spawned the 2004 sequel The Whole Ten Yards.

Born in Massachusetts in 1969, Perry was raised in Ottawa, Canada, where he attended elementary school with Justin Trudeau.

The Canadian Prime Minister  wrote on X: ‘Matthew Perry's passing is shocking and saddening. I'll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved - and you will be missed.’

Co-stars also paid tribute.

Morgan Fairchild who played Perry's mother and erotic novel writer Nora Bing, said: ‘I'm heartbroken about the untimely death of my "son" Matthew Perry. The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock.’

Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler's irritating ex-girlfriend Janice wrote on Instagram: ‘What a loss.The world will miss you Mathew Perry . The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.’

The Wire star Wendell Pierce, who worked with Perry on The Odd Couple, tweeted: ‘Damn. For two years Matthew Perry was my boss, my colleague, and a giving, kind, funny man. I pray and hope he is at peace.’

NBC, the network that aired all ten seasons of Friends,  spanning 234 episodes, said: ‘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.’

In 2018, Perry spent five months in a hospital for a gastrointestinal perforation, almost dying when his colon burst from opioid abuse. He spent two weeks in a coma. 

Perry's last post on Instagram, made last Monday, was a photograph of him sitting in an outdoor jacuzzi at night, with the caption: 'Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman.'

Friends has been in reruns ever since it ended, and is a staple of the Comedy Central schedule in the UK to this day.

Published: 29 Oct 2023