LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Beloved TV and film actor, addiction advocate and author Matthew Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday (October 28) in an apparent drowning. News of his death was confirmed via his family in a statement to People on Sunday (October 29). He was 54.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”
According to TMZ, who first reported the news, Perry had returned to his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles from playing Pickleball and sent his assistant out for errands. Approximately two hours later, his assistant returned to find Perry unresponsive in the jacuzzi. Los Angeles Fire Department representative Brian Humphrey told CNN a 911 call came in Saturday at 4:07 pm for a water rescue emergency. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) arrived at 4:10 pm and characterized the call as a death investigation shortly after. No drugs were found, and no foul play was reported.
Perry’s parents, actor John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Morrison, along with his step-father, Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, were seen at the actor’s home Saturday night amid the scene’s chaos.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office updated its online record for Perry on Sunday (October 29), listing his cause of death as “deferred.” CNN reports Perry’s death will require additional investigative steps by the medical examiner’s office before concluding. In a statement to CNN, the office said they are waiting for the results of the toxicology reports to determine Perry’s official cause of death.
Matthew Langford Perry was born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, MA, to Suzanne Langford (Morrison), a Canadian journalist who was the press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Pierre Trudeau and John Bennett Perry, an American actor and former model.
His parents separated before his first birthday, and his mother married Canadian broadcast journalist Keith Morrison. He was raised most of the time in Ottawa, Ont. and attended Rockcliffe Park Public School and Ashbury College. At 15, Perry moved to Los Angeles to live with his father and studied acting at Buckley School, a college-prep school in Sherman Oaks, graduating in 1987.
Perry attended elementary school with current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (son of former PM Pierre Trudeau). In a 2017 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Perry revealed a friend reminded him that he beat up Justin in elementary school.
“My friend … who was also in the fifth grade in Canada, reminded me that we actually beat up Justin Trudeau,” Perry revealed. He went on to say it was pure jealousy as Justin was excelling in a sport that Perry wasn’t. “We both beat him up. I think he was excelling in a sport that we weren’t so it was pure jealousy.” Perry said, “You know, I’m not bragging about this. This is terrible. I was a stupid kid. I didn’t want to beat him up.”
In April 2017, Justin challenged Perry to a rematch with a Twitter post, “I’ve been giving it some thought, and you know what, who hasn’t wanted to punch Chandler? How about a rematch @MatthewPerry?”
PM Trudeau, upon hearing the news of Perry’s death, took to X in tribute.
Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 29, 2023
Perry is best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom Friends, which detailed the lives of a group of 20-somethings living in New York in the late 1990s. The ensemble show also starred David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Greene), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay). It ran for an impressive ten seasons (1994 – 2004).
During its run, Friends was nominated for several awards. The show won the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Top Television Series for 11 years, from 1995 until 2005. Kudrow took home a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1998. It culminated in the entire cast winning the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002 and Aniston taking home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2002. Perry was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series alongside co-star LeBlanc in 2002, but Ray Romano took the award. Perry was nominated individually five times during the series run.
Other TV credits include the NBC comedy Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, CBS’ revival of The Odd Couple, Ally McBeal and many others. Perry received Primetime Emmy nods for his turns in The West Wing and The Ron Clark Story.
His big screen roles include the lead in Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards and The Whole Ten Yards alongside Bruce Willis, Serving Sara, 17 Again, Three to Tango and Almost Heroes. He also voiced Benny in the video game Fallout: New Vegas.
In 2021, Perry reunited with his former Friends castmates for the CBS special Friends: The Reunion, following a resurgence in interest in the show after it landed on streaming during the pandemic.
Perry was open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, writing his memoir in 2022 titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. In the book, Perry, who remained close to Aniston after Friends ended its run, said it was her who confronted him when his substance abuse became evident to his castmates. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Perry said, “She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that.”
Perry struggled throughout his career, at one point taking 55 Vicodin a day and weighing only 128 pounds. Before his memoir release, he said in an interview with People, “I didn’t know how to stop. The disease and the addiction is progressive, so it gets worse and worse as you grow older.” Then sober, Perry continued, “I’m most surprised with my resilience. The way that I can bounce back from all this torture and awfulness.”
Perry was hospitalized in 2018 after his colon burst due to excessive opioid abuse. He spent two weeks in a coma and spent nine months recovering with a colostomy bag. The doctors at the time said he had a 2% chance of making it through that experience alive.
Following his death, emotional tributes have poured in from fans and those in the entertainment industry.
Warner Bros. TV – “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family. The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”
Maggie Wheeler (who played Janice on Friends) – “What a loss. The world will miss you, Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too-short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Morgan Fairchild (who played Chandler Bing’s mother on Friends) – I’m heartbroken about the untimely death of my “son,” Matthew Perry. The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his friends & family, especially his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I worked with on Flamingo Road & Falcon Crest. #RIPMatthew
Page Six reports that Aniston, Kudrow, Cox, Schwimmer and LeBlanc are preparing to release a joint statement and that his former co-stars are “reeling” from the death of their beloved “brother.”
Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright
“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.
“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.”
CelebrityAccess Content Writer Stacy Santos – “COULD I BE ANYMORE UPSET? When I was told MatthewPerry was dead – I thought it was a hoax. No, even more so – I WISHED it was a joke. It wasn’t. Yes, I know Matthew Perry was a celebrity – yes, I know I didn’t know him personally. I met him on the carpet of the Emmy Awards for 3 seconds as he walked past me with his mom as his date. But for some reason, his death hit me hard. I grew up with FRIENDS – as many of us did, but I always associated most with Chandler and his ability to use humor as a coping mechanism – no matter the situation.
“I know Chandler is a character, but I believe actors always inject a little of what and who they are into the roles they play. He was a sensitive soul – not Chandler – but Matthew. He struggled with addiction for most of his adult life. He almost died in 2018 from opioid abuse. His memoir is heartbreaking. As an addict in recovery, I do want his cause of death to be accidental drowning as it’s so disheartening to think this disease that is chronic, progressive and fatal took another soul.
“It’s hard for me to swallow the fact that the next time the entire Friends cast will be together again, it will be at his funeral.
“I didn’t know Matthew, but man, I sure do feel like I did. My heart goes out to the FRIENDS cast. RIP Chandler Muriel Bing and the man who brought him to life. I pray you find peace in the stars – the peace that alluded you on earth.”
I’ll leave you with Perry’s own words from his memoir.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life, but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘will you help me?’ I will always say, ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.’ So I do that whenever I can. In groups or one on one.
“When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends. And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web…But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice.”
Thank you for the laughs, thank you for the life lessons & I’m so sorry you’re gone at the age of 54. You should still be here & I wish you were. RIP.
