Matthew Perry’s “Friends” co-star Maggie Wheeler mourned the loss of her former on-screen boyfriend, whose character appeared from the show’s second through third seasons.
As a tribute to the beloved actor, who died of apparent drowning at the age of 54, the 62-year-old actor shared a photo on Instagram of his happy-looking characters from the popular sitcom, which aired between 1994 and 2004.
‘What a loss. “The world will miss you, Mathew Perry,” she captioned the image, which shows her gazing adoringly at him while portraying her character, Janice Litman-Goralnik.
The mother-of-two continued: “The joy you brought to so many in your too-short life will live on.” I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared. ♥️’
Remembering his legacy: Matthew Perry’s Friends co-star Maggie Wheeler mourned the loss of her former on-screen boyfriend, who she dated from the show’s second to third seasons
Within an hour, she received more than 35,367 likes and nearly 2,000 comments from her 111,000 Instagram followers.
While Perry’s character eventually becomes involved with Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), he and Janice had one of the longest relationships on the series.
Her character was known for her nasal voice as she screamed her catchphrase: “Oh my God.”
The couple most recently publicly reunited when they appeared on the 2021 Friends reunion special, hosted by James Corden.
Other than Wheeler, none of the Friends cast members have publicly responded to the news of Perry’s death.
On Saturday, TMZ reported that law enforcement sources told the network that Perry was found at a home in Los Angeles on Saturday after first responders were called to the scene for a cardiac arrest.
Sources claim he was found in the home’s hot tub, but no drugs were found at the scene and there was no evidence of crime.
The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities responded to his home around 4 p.m. and found him unresponsive.
A source told the outlet that there were signs of foul play and that Robbery and Homicide detectives were investigating his death.
Throwback: As he paid tribute to the beloved actor, who apparently died in a drowning accident at the age of 54, the 62-year-old actor shared a photo on Instagram of his happy-looking characters from the popular sitcom, which aired between 1994 and 2004 became (see). in the year 2005)
‘What a loss. “The world will miss you, Mathew Perry,” she captioned the image, which shows her gazing adoringly at him while portraying her character, Janice Litman-Goralnik
Grateful: The mother-of-two continued: “The joy you brought to so many in your too-short life will live on.” I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared ♥️’
In his latest post on Instagram, which he shared earlier this week, the star shared pictures of himself in his pool and said, “Oh, that warm water swirling around makes you feel good? ‘I’m Mattman.’
Perry opened up publicly about his problems with drugs and alcohol after first entering rehab for an alleged painkiller addiction following a jet ski accident in 1997.
After this first stay, he went to rehab again in 2001 and 2011. In an interview in 2016, he said that he didn’t remember filming three seasons of Friends.
A long-time friend of Perry’s who was in recovery with him told : “Everyone is in complete shock.” People are crying on the phone and struggling to accept this news.
“It’s no secret that he has struggled with drugs and alcohol for years, but the last time I spoke to him, which was a few weeks ago, he seemed to be doing well.”
Reunited: Perry and Wheeler briefly reunited during the 2021 Friends reunion special hosted by James Corden
On-screen lovers: While Perry’s character eventually becomes involved with Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), he and Janice had one of the longest relationships on the series (as seen in 2019).
Her character was known for her nasal voice as she screamed her catchphrase, “Oh my God.”
“He was upbeat and sounded sober and positive.”
“He was in rehab 17 times and almost died from opioid abuse, but he was someone who was sincere about taking his own life and losing his sobriety every day.”
“This is such tragic news.” Everyone is praying that he doesn’t relapse. Matt was a really nice guy. He was always the first to welcome newcomers to the group and was always willing to help and assist.
“We are all finding it difficult to come to terms with this terrible news.”
The “Friends” star opened up about the culmination of his horrific battle with drug and alcohol addiction that almost cost him his life in his memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.”
Perry also revealed that his colon ruptured at age 49 as a result of his opioid addiction.
Huge loss: On Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported that authorities arrived at his home around 4 p.m. and found him unresponsive
Doctors gave him only a two percent chance of survival and he was in a coma for two weeks, followed by months more in the hospital.
Perry required 14 surgeries to repair all abdominal damage, and he admitted to going to rehab 15 times over the years in hopes of kicking his drug addiction.
At one point during his Friends career, he admitted he was taking 55 Vicodin a day and was down to 128 pounds, but still “didn’t know how to stop.”
He told an interviewer in 2016 that he didn’t remember filming three seasons of Friends.
“I had this weird rule that I would never drink on set,” Perry said. “But in extreme cases I’ve gone to work with a hangover. “It’s so horrible to feel like that and have to work and be funny on top of that.”
He even revealed that he would go to real estate open houses – not because he was interested in buying a property, but to see if he could steal drugs from medicine cabinets.
Perry was born on August 19, 1969 in Massachusetts, raised in Ottawa and raised by his mother Suzanne Morrison, a Canadian writer and former press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Morrison and Perry’s father were married from 1968 to 1970 and she married Canadian broadcast journalist Keith Morrison, who had been with Dateline for decades, in 1981.
Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer
In Canada, Perry was a top tennis player but moved to Los Angeles at 15 to be closer to his father, John Bennett Perry, an actor known for several shows including Falcon Crest and later Old Spice commercials.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Perry landed appearances on the most popular TV shows of the decades such as Charles in Charge, Who’s The Boss?, Growing Pains and Beverly Hills, 90210.
He also had a role in “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon,” a 1988 film starring River Phoenix.
The film was “one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had, because I was 16 years old and all alone in Chicago with no parents around,” Perry told BuzzFeed. “I knew I wanted to act.”
He told The New York Times in 2002 that he was seeking fame. “I had steam coming out of my ears, I really wanted to be famous.”
The “Friends” star opened up about the culmination of his horrific battle with drug and alcohol addiction that almost left him in his memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir,” published last year would have cost his life
“You want the attention, you want the money and you want the best seat in the restaurant. “I didn’t realize the impact that would have.”
Perry’s dream of widespread recognition came true with the NBC sitcom “Friends,” which followed the lives of six people in their 20s trying to make it in New York City.
Audiences adored the show throughout its ten-year run and continue to do so today, even though the show ended over 15 years ago.
During Friends, Perry also appeared in films such as Fools Rush In and The Whole Nine Yards.
After the series, he appeared in several television shows, but did not achieve the longevity and success of Friends. He continued to land roles in films such as 2009’s “17 Again.”
Perry never married and ended his engagement to Molly Hurwitz, a talent manager, in 2021.
He dated several well-known actresses, including Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan.