The death of the star Friends Matthew Perry caused a wave of grief worldwide, but of course also among his colleagues in the famous TV series.
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The American-Canadian star, known for his role as Chandler Bing in the iconic ’90s series, was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday (October 28, 2023) after apparently drowning, his rep confirmed to NBC News.
The 54-year-old actor’s death prompted many colleagues to remember his talent and kindness, including Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as executive producer Kevin Bright. “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of our beloved friend Matthew,” they wrote in a statement. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel lucky to have had him in our lives. He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case there are no more accurate words. From the day we first heard him play the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.”
David Crane and Marta Kauffman. Brian To/WENN.com
“We will always appreciate the joy, light and dazzling intelligence that he brought to every moment, not only in his work but in life.” He was always the funniest person in the room. “Moreover, he was the sweetest, with a generous and selfless heart,” they praised him, before concluding with a nod to the series’ episode titles and declaring, “He’s really the one who broke our hearts.”
Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler’s longtime friend Janice, wrote on Instagram: “What a loss. The world will miss you, Matthew Perry. The joy that you brought to so many people in your too short life will remain. I feel so blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Paget Brewster, who played Chandler’s girlfriend Kathy in season four, remembered his castmate on X/Twitter: “He was nice to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the years that followed.”
Paget Brewster. AFP
Morgan Fairchild, who played Nora Bing, Chandler’s mother, added: “The untimely death of my ‘son’ breaks my heart… The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock.”
Morgan Fairchild. AFP
Lead actors Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, who starred alongside him throughout his career from 1994 to 2004, had no comment as of Monday morning.