Friends star Matthew Perry died Saturday at the age of 54 after being found unresponsive in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home, shocking fellow Hollywood stars who shared their surprise over Perry’s death on social media.
Key Takeaways
- Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice, a girlfriend of Chandler Bing, the character Perry played on on Friends, said she felt blessed by “every creative moment” the two shared and said “the joy [Perry] brought to so many in [his] too short lifetime will live on.”
- Shannen Doherty, who Perry appeared with on one episode of Beverly Hills 90210, posted on Instagram expressing her “shock and sadness” at Perry’s death, saying their friendship lasted a lifetime and he “always had THAT sense of humour.”
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a former childhood classmate of Perry’s, said he’d “never forget the schoolyard games” the two used to play and the world would never forget “the joy [Perry] brought them.”
- Wendell Pierce, Perry’s former co-star on the CBS show The Odd Couple, described the actor as a “giving, kind, funny man” who he prayed “is at peace.”
- Actress Selma Blair described Perry as her “oldest boy friend” who she loved “unconditionally,” adding she’s “broken hearted.”
- Morgan Fairchild, who played Perry’s mother on the show Friends, said she was “heartbroken about the untimely death of [her] ‘son,’” who she described as a “brilliant young actor.”
- Paget Brewster, who played Perry’s girlfriend Kathy during Friends’ fourth season, urged people to read his book and said his legacy was “to help” others.
- Actress Kaley Cuoco thanked Perry “for the laughs” and said he was “a joy to watch for so many years and a constant lesson in comedic timing.”
What To Watch For
None of Perry’s five Friends co-stars—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer—have responded publicly to their one-time co-star’s unexpected death.
News Peg
Police responded to Perry’s home Saturday around 4 p.m. and found him unresponsive, the Los Angeles Times reported. While a cause of death is currently unknown, unnamed sources told the Times no drugs were found at the home and foul play is not suspected.
Key Background
From 1994 to 2004, Perry was one of the most widely watched actors on television as he starred in NBC’s Friends.
The show, which ran 10 seasons and more than 200 episodes, earned each of the six stars $1 million an episode, Perry revealed years later, and earned each a fortune in residuals. But before he transformed into the sarcastic character of Bing on Friends, he was a child actor who made appearances in many 1980s sitcoms, from Growing Pains, Charles In Charge, Silver Spoons and Who’s The Boss.
He went on to star in films like Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek and The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis. More recently, Perry made headlines for his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, which detailed his years of drinking and drug use.
In his book, Perry revealed he had his first drink at age 14 and later became addicted to both alcohol and opioids. Perry later got sober, he said in the book.
This article was first published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
