The makers of Friends have paid a touching tribute to Matthew Perry following his unexpected death aged 54.
Co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and director Kevin Bright have issued a joint statement following the sitcom star’s suspected drowning on Saturday.
They remembered Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the wildly popular series, for his “dazzling intelligence” and for always being “the funniest person in the room.”
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of our beloved friend Matthew,” they said in a statement to Deadline. “It still seems impossible.”
“All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him in our lives.”
Co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and director Kevin Bright have issued a joint statement following the sitcom star’s suspected drowning on Saturday. (Pictured: Kauffman, Crane and Bright with the cast of Friends in 2000)
The makers of Friends have paid a touching tribute to Matthew Perry following his unexpected death aged 54
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of our beloved friend Matthew,” the founders of “Friends” said in a statement. “It still seems impossible.” (Pictured: Mourners leave flowers for Perry in front of the New York apartment building used as an exterior shot in “Friends.”
“He was a brilliant talent.” It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role his own, but in Matthew’s case there are no truer words.
“From the day we first heard him portray the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.
“We will always treasure the joy, light and dazzling intelligence he brought to every moment – not just in his work but in life.”
“He was always the funniest person in the room.” On top of that, he was the sweetest, with a generous and selfless heart.
Echoing the famous Friends episode titles, they added: “We send all our love to his family and friends. ‘This is truly where our hearts are broken.’
Kauffman, Crane and Bright are the minds behind the sitcom, which was a huge hit worldwide when it aired between 1994 and 2004 and whose reruns continue to be popular years later.
They reunited with Perry and his co-stars for the 2021 reunion special, for which they all collectively received an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) category.
Friends followed the lives of six twenty-somethings living in New York, including Perry’s character Chandler Bing.
Tributes poured in for Friends star Matthew Perry after he was found dead yesterday
Perry has died at his home in LA at the age of 54 (pictured earlier this week when he was last seen in public).
Aerial photos show Perry’s pool and hot tub, where he was reportedly found dead yesterday
It was a huge hit worldwide when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and reruns continue to be popular years later.
Perry gained a global fan base for his role and received an Emmy nomination in 2002 – but behind the glitz and glamour, he secretly battled substance abuse for decades.
The perennially troubled star was found dead in his hot tub on Saturday afternoon from a suspected drowning, although the LA County coroner’s office currently classifies the case status of the actor’s death as “open.” An autopsy is planned.
Late Saturday evening, Perry’s body was placed in a coroner’s van from the front door of his LA home.
LA County Medical Examiner’s Office workers loaded Perry’s body into the van before closing its doors and driving away.
Perry is believed to have drowned hours after a game of pickleball, and in a redacted recording of the dispatch audio, a man can be heard saying “save 23” and “drowning.”
A law enforcement mole told TMZ that investigators discovered prescription antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills in Perry’s luxurious home overlooking the Pacific Ocean – but no illegal drugs were found inside.
The actor, famous for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, was also in possession of a prescription COPD medication.
COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The medications found at Perry’s home are typically used for people with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
Perry became famous for his role as “Chandler Bing” on the hit 90s sitcom “Friends,” which ran for ten seasons
Perry was a smoker and also struggled with alcohol and opiate addictions, but claimed to have been clean shortly before his suspected drowning death.
The new revelations came after it was reported that emergency responders were called to the “Friends” star’s home for a “water emergency” and arrived to find the actor had drowned, it is claimed.
Police sources told NBC News and CNN that they initially believed they were participating in a possible “water rescue” at the comedian’s Pacific Palisades home after being called at 4:07 p.m. PST on Saturday.
When they arrived, they found the 54-year-old apparently drowned in his hot tub. The LA Times reported that Perry was “unresponsive.”
Officers from the LA Police Department’s Robbery and Homicide Unit were also dispatched to the Pacific Palisades home, but a source said no drugs or signs of crime were found at the scene.