Longtime ‘Friend’ Matthew Perry, 54
In his 2022 memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,’ Perry shared his struggle with alcohol addiction, having spent more than $7 million on efforts to get sober
Daily TribuneIn his 2022 memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,’ Perry shared his struggle with alcohol addiction, having spent more than $7 million on efforts to get sober
MATTHEW Perry, 1969-2023.(frederick brown/agence france-presse)
Actor Matthew Perry, known as Chandler Bing in the US television series Friends, was found dead Saturday in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, according to LAPD. He was 54.
Multiple reports indicate that said authorities responded to a 4:10 p.m. call at a residence in Bluesail Drive, only to respond to a "death investigation for a male in his fifties."
No foul play and no drugs were found at the scene, the officers added.
"We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. He 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 his devoted fans," Warner Bros. Television Group said in a statement to The Times.
Perry, born 19 August 1969, is the son of actor John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Marie Langford, onetime press secretary of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He grew up between Ottawa and Los Angeles after his parents separated when he was only one year old. He officially moved to LA at 15 to finish high school.
In the early 1980s and 1990s, he was cast in Charles in Charge, Beverly Hills 90210 and in the film A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. However, his big break came when he landed the role of Chandler Bing in NBC 1994 sitcom Friends.
Los Angeles Times reports that at its high-water mark — for a 1996 Super Bowl episode and the 2004 series finale, "the series notched more than 50 million live viewers; by its end, cast members were earning more than $1 million an episode."
With Perry in Friends are Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry shared his struggle with alcohol addiction, having spent more than $7 million on efforts to get sober.
He estimated he had relapsed "60 or 70 times" since getting sober in 2001, struggling to maintain appearances in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Go On, The West Wing and The Good Wife.
