The actor, who played the character Chandler Bing in the hit series, was found dead in his jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles.
The group of friends has lost one of its own: actor Matthew Perry, who played the character Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom “Friends”, was found dead in his home at the age of 54, they said. reported this Saturday October 28 by American media.
According to Los Angeles Times, the actor was found unconscious dead by his assistant in his jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles. First responders were unable to revive him.
No clue suggesting that it could be a criminal act has been found, according to anonymous sources cited by the Los Angeles Times and the specialized media TMZwho first announced the death.
“A true gift for us all”
Its representatives did not immediately respond to requests from AFP, although reactions began to pour in. In a statement, Warner Bros. TV studio, which produced the iconic series, said it was “devastated” by the news of his death.
“He was a true gift to all of us. Our thoughts are with his family, his loved ones and all his fans,” the studio wrote in a statement.
Matthew Perry was best known for the role of prankster and clumsy Chandler Bing in the ultra-popular series “Friends”, which aired on NBC for ten seasons, from 1994 to 2004, totaling more than 230 episodes.
Fight against addiction
The actor had struggled for years with his addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and had attended rehabilitation clinics on several occasions.
During a recent television appearance, Matthew Perry surprised the audience by admitting to having suffered from severe anxiety “every night” while filming “Friends.” In the memoir, published last year, he confessed to undergoing 65 drug treatment sessions, spending more than $9 million. According to TMZ, no drugs were found at the scene of the actor’s death on Saturday.
In addition to “Friends,” Matthew Perry has starred in films such as “Fools Rush In” and “The Whole Nine Yards.”
He had undergone several surgeries linked to his drug addiction problems, including a seven-hour colon operation in 2018, going so far as to say one day: “I should be dead”.
An iconic series
Alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry made the success of this television series adored by American youth and beyond.
It tells the adventures of a group of happy friends – Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Chandler – in New York, punctuated by romantic relationships including between Monica and Chandler.
In the end, the six heroes were paid around a million dollars per episode. According to Variety, they even negotiated a fee of $2.5 million each for the filming of a reunion show in 2021. During this episode, Matthew Perry aroused the fears of his fans visibly stammering his words.
Matthew Perry was born in Massachusetts in 1969, to Canadian and American parents. He was raised between Montreal and Los Angeles. His mother is a Canadian journalist who worked for former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, while his father is an actor.
The series “Friends” was a huge audience success and left its mark on a generation of viewers. Its arrival on Netflix allowed it to attract a new audience, confirming the intact popularity of the sitcom, a genre that many said was in decline.
Reactions in Hollywood began to pour in on social media following the news of the death. “Oh no!!! Matthew Perry!! Such a tender, troubled soul,” wrote actress Mina Sorvino, who starred with Perry in a television film, “Parallel Lives,” in 1994.
Matthew Perry played small roles before being last cast in “Friends” where he wowed fans with his caustic humor, sarcasm and lack of self-confidence. Never married, he also did not win any Emmys, the prestigious American television awards, despite five nominations.