Matthew Perry, Beloved Star of ‘Friends’ Dies at 54
Matthew Perry, the beloved star of the ever-popular sitcom Friends has died. The actor was found dead on October 28th of apparent drowning. He was 54 years old.
According to the LA Times, authorities responded to a call around 4 p.m. to his home, where he was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub. Sources said no drugs were found on the scene, and there was no foul play suspected.
Sources told TMZ that Perry had come home in the morning after playing pickleball and sent his assistant out on an errand shortly after that. His assistant discovered him unresponsive when he returned two hours later.
Perry’s death was confirmed by Capt. Scot Williams of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide division, according to the New York Times. Williams said the cause of death would likely not be determined for some time.
Perry was known best for his role as the sarcastic, self-deprecating, hilarious Chandler Bing on Friends, which ran for ten seasons. The iconic character is still quoted regularly, especially as new audiences continue to watch re-runs of the series.
In 2021, Perry joined the rest of the cast, Jennifer Anniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, for Friends: The Reunion. This would mark his final television appearance.
Just last year, Perry published his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which details his journey from childhood ambition to fame, his struggles with addiction, his time on Friends, and his terrifying health scare.
Perry spent many years focused on helping others with addiction. He ran a sober living facility in Malibu for quite some time called the Perry House.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015, “but the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me stop drinking?’ I will say, ‘Yes. I know how to do that.’”
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.