RIP Matthew Perry

[Sylvia]

Los Angeles Times:

'Friends' star Matthew Perry dead at 54, found in hot tub at L.A. home

Authorities found Perry unresponsive in his Los Angeles home Saturday. There was no sign of foul play.

www.latimes.com

“Friends” star Mathew Perry was found dead Saturday in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, law enforcement sources said.
Authorities responded about 4 p.m. to his home, where he was discovered unresponsive. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, did not cite a cause of death. There was no sign of foul play, the sources added.
Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery-homicide detectives are investigating the death.

There was a dark side to instant fame, however. In his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry reflected on his lifelong struggle with addiction to alcohol and opioids, which had led to multiple stints in rehab and serious health issues, including a 2018 gastrointestinal surgery that left him hospitalized for five months. Perry wrote that, while he had been mostly sober since 2001, he had had “sixty or seventy” relapses in the time since.
“Nobody wanted to be famous more than me,” Perry told The Times in April, discussing “Big Terrible Thing” at the Festival of Books. “I was convinced it was the answer. I was 25, it was the second year of ‘Friends,’ and eight months into it, I realized the American dream is not making me happy, not filling the holes in my life. I couldn’t get enough attention. … Fame does not do what you think it’s going to do. It was all a trick.”

 

[manhn]

Shocking. A real tv sitcom force in so many ways. When I write or say a joke, I have his delivery in mind. His comic timing is truly something to be studied and admired.

 

[Ananas Astra]

Oh damn. May he RiP!

 

[Desperado]

Shocking. A real tv sitcom force in so many ways. When I write or say a joke, I have his delivery in mind. His comic timing is truly something to be studied and admired.

Considering how sad he's been looking in every interview I've seen of him over the last years, this is heartbreaking.

 

[genevieve]

Very sad but unfortunately not surprising... I hope that he is at peace now.

 

[caseyedwards]

Could I be any sadder?

RIP

 

[HeatherC]

To say that I am heartbroken would be a total understatement. Friends is my ALL time favorite comfort show and I've seen a lot of his other projects as well over the years so he's been part of my life for a long time as an actor. Matthew's comic timing and talent was always right on target and I so wanted him to conquer all those demons. I am just so sad tonight. RIP and I hope his soul has found some peace now.

 

[Coco]

So incredibly sad, I'm sorry he had so many struggles.

He did a sitcom called "Go On" that was brilliant. I didn't watch Friends too frequently, so I'm more familiar with him from Go On. Very funny guy, 54 is way too young.

 

[Vash01]

Very sorry to read this. R.I.P.

 

[Lynn226]

I'm saddened by this news. Friends is one of those shows that can make me laugh no matter how low I'm feeling.

 

[overedge]

I was very moved by his book. He was brutally honest about his addictions and how much he struggled with them, and the physical damage they caused him.

After Friends he had enough money that he never had to work again, but there was also a huge downside to that because he also had a steady stream of money to feed his addictions. He could afford to go to rehab, hire sober companions, and do a lot of things for treatments that less affluent addicts couldn't do. But it really struck me in reading the book how much work all of that was, and how difficult it was for him, even with the strongest intentions to get better. He tried so hard. I am really sad and I hope that he is at peace

 

[Cachoo]

This makes me sad because he made me laugh so much. My best way to toast to his memory is to include a favorite blooper from Friends—Pivot: https://youtu.be/hWruEaP4ysI?si=Y8UZHos4RyJLzlpA

RIP Matthew

 

[taf2002]

New stories say that he drowned in his hot tub & does not appear to be self-inflicted.

 

[sk8pics]

I was really sorry to hear this news. I read his memoir a few months ago. It was horrifying and inspiring at the same time. I thought he may really have turned the corner. I wonder if he fell ill and passed out in the hot tub. Or something else happened. I really hope they won’t find any drugs in his system. That would be even sadder.

 

[Amy L]

I was really sorry to hear this news. I read his memoir a few months ago. It was horrifying and inspiring at the same time. I thought he may really have turned the corner. I wonder if he fell ill and passed out in the hot tub. Or something else happened. I really hope they won’t find any drugs in his system. That would be even sadder.

From the initial reports, it looks like no drugs were on the scene, or at least nothing that was physically near him. It could have just been a case of extended drug use damaging his system in such a way there was no coming back from. It could have been a Leslie Jordan situation, where he had a heart attack while driving & crashed. If he had a medical event alone while in a hot tub, then he wouldn't have had much chance.

 

[MLIS]

The latest report I saw was that he had been playing pickle ball (or working out, anyway) for a couple of hours that morning, and he seems to have come home and gone for a soak in the hot tub and drowned. It might have been a heart attack, or something else related to over exertion. Tragic.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Matthew's comic timing and talent was always right on target

Rainn Wilson agrees:

https://twitter.com/rainnwilson/status/1718523916707299534

 

[love skating]

When I saw it come up on the news I shouted "No!" So sad to hear. He was always one of my faves! May he rest in peace.

 

[Cachoo]

I can just hear Chandler Bing: Could this BE any worse?

 

[MINAM]

Very surprised. Shocking but not shocking. He was brilliant in delivering funny lines.
While he looked tired in the Friends reunion, I thought he had his life on track. Too young. RIP.

 

[canbelto]

It could be that the years of drug abuse just weakened his heart. So sad. I loved Chandler Bing.

 

[Sylvia]

Julianna Margulies just shared a photo of her & Matthew from The Good Wife: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzANWyTsj80/

I’m so sorry life wasn’t easier for you. I witnessed your struggle every day when we worked together and I loved sitting with you and running our lines. RIP Matthew. I hope there is peace now wherever you are.

Seduced, hypnotised and naked in a toilet: Matthew Perry’s 10 greatest scenes

The hugely versatile actor could be hysterically funny as a flatmate taking a bath – or terrifying as a truth-twisting lawyer. From Friends to The West Wing, we recall his finest moments on screen

www.theguardian.com

Perry found his first truly great post-Friends role in The Good Wife as the odious, truth-twisting lawyer Mike Kresteva. Towards the end of season three, he not only lies about and manipulates Alicia Florrick, but uses those lies as a platform to announce that he’s running for governor of Illinois – against Alicia’s husband, Peter. The Good Wife was stuffed with fantastic baddies, but for four episodes, Perry was one of the best.

 

[Amy L]

It could be that the years of drug abuse just weakened his heart. So sad. I loved Chandler Bing.

According to his book, his heart stopped once before when he was at a detox facility. He's also had major surgery on his bowels because his drug use wrecked his GI tract. Unfortunately, there are a lot of potential secondary "culprits" that could have caused problems even if he'd been clean for a long time. He went through a lot - - I remember back in the day there were news stories about a pill habit, but I didn't know how bad things really were until his book came out.

 

[canbelto]

I still remember during the reunion, the other Friends castmates pretty much looked exactly as they were on the show, just 20 years older. But Matty looked ... rough. There were some rumors that the cast held out for Matty to leave rehab before they would agree to the reunion.

 

[Sylvia]

Oct. 29: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/29/entertainment/matthew-perry-cause-of-death-investigation/index.html

The cause of actor Matthew Perry’s death at his residence Saturday will require additional investigative steps by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office before reaching a conclusion, according to records from the agency.
The medical examiner updated its online record for Perry on Sunday afternoon, listing his cause of death as “deferred.”
“In cases where the cause of death cannot be determined at the time of autopsy, a deferred certificate will be issued until additional studies have been completed,” according to the LA coroner’s guidelines.

On Sunday, “Friends” co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright released a statement to CNN, saying they were “shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing.”
“It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives,” their statement said. “He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.”
The statement added: “We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment - not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart…This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”

 

[chantilly]

Jennifer Anniston is going to be a mess throughout this.
Matt says she approached him on set of Friends and said “ We know you’re using we can smell the alcohol “
She seemed to be the emotional centre of the group.
And Matt singled her out for her recognition early on.
I feel for them all.
This is very unexpected from someone who seemed to beat back the demons of massive insecurity and addiction.
I’m guessing the damage to his heart was too great to withstand anymore.

Happy at least he left the legacy of his book which despite its minor controversies was from many accounts informative, honest and a cautionary tale.
He wanted to help people and I think he did.
What a loss. His comedic timing on Friends was definitely one of the best.
One of my favourite characters in TV and a Canadian too.
So sorry to hear about his surprising passing.

 

[screech]

I have a relative who died in a hot tub. It's so easy to get overheated, and especially with some health issues like Matthew had...?

In addition to feeling bad for the cast of Friends for what they're going through, I also feel bad for them as they're getting some backlash for not posting anything yet on social media. As though they aren't struggling with processing the loss of someone important to them. I also suspect that they'll come up with a post together, and all share the same image/caption as each other.

My favourite posts I've seen are those like Mira Sorvino's that share how Matthew wanted to be remembered - as someone who tried to help others struggling with addiction.

 

[manhn]

Yeah, the actors of 90210 dealt with the same bullying impatience when Luke Perry died. So obnoxious. Let people deal with personal loss the way they want to on their own timeline.

 

[Vagabond]

No one should ever feel obligated to post anything on social media. Ever. Not even Elon Musk, and certainly not anyone grieving the loss of a friend.

 

[DFJ]

He's all over Instagram this morning. I decided to watch them all and laughed myself to tears. Thank you Matthew for all of those moments. What a gift he was and will continue to be.