According to the Los Angeles Times, Matthew Perry died Oct. 28 at his Pacific Palisades home. He was 54. Officials currently investigating his cause of death say that he was found at his home in his hot tub not breathing, and foul play is not suspected.
Perry played Chandler Bing in the hit 90s sitcom “Friends,” who is loved for his sarcastic personality and funny remarks. The show ran from 1994 for 10 seasons until its end in 2004.
After Perry’s death, the actors, who remained close after the end of the show, released a statement through People Magazine.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” their statement reads. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the statement continues. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matt’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Perry also publicly shared his struggle with substance use disorder during the airing of the show. In another article by People talking about Perry’s memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” it was said that Perry’s alcohol use disorder was starting to surface at the age of 24, just as he was starting to act on the show.
“I didn’t know how to stop,” he said. “If the police came over to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’re going to take you to jail,’ I’d start packing. I couldn’t stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive. So it gets worse and worse as you grow older.”
Some of the actors on the set tried to help Perry back when he was on “Friends.” In an interview with ABC News, Perry talked about how Jennifer Aniston tried to help him with his addiction. He said that “she was the one that reached out the most, you know I’m really grateful to her for that.”
After struggling with addiction himself, Perry devoted time and money toward supporting others going through addiction, and believed it to be the most important work of his life, for which he hoped to be remembered.
In light of Perry’s public battle, some fans had been concerned about how his health was impacted by years of drug use.
Alec Douglas, a third-year film major at Seattle U, shared how the news was not as shocking as some would think.
“I was kind of surprised to hear because even though he was struggling, he was still pretty young,” Douglas said.
Other fans were heartbroken about the news like Imaan Khaki, a second-year cell and molecular biology major, who loved Perry’s acting.
“He was a good actor and he will be missed. It was a shock that he had died,” Khaki said.
Keagen Brooks-Torres, a second-year English major, felt that Perry’s legacy and work was buried by the media sensationalism surrounding his death.
“It saddens me that addiction is so sensationalized and over-publicized when there are families that are mourning,” Brookes-Torres said. “Celebrities are still real people.”
There is no denying that the actor has impacted all of his fans with his great acting as well as with his infectious personality on “Friends.” Perry will be missed dearly by his friends and family as well as his great number of fans.
