It’s a disappearance that shocks Hollywood. US media reported on Saturday that actor Matthew Perry, who played the character Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom “Friends”, was found dead in his home at the age of 54.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the actor was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. No signs were found to suggest foul play, according to anonymous sources cited by the same newspaper and TMZ, which first reported the death.
In his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” last year, Perry discussed his long battle with multiple addictions. In 2019, he almost died after suffering a gastrointestinal perforation due to his opiate use. Two years later he had to interrupt his participation in the filming of “Don’t Look Up” after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Struggle with his addiction
Matthew Perry was best known for the role of Chandler Bing, who was not lacking in humor, in the extremely popular series Friends, which aired on NBC for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004 with around 235 episodes.
The actor had struggled with his addiction to painkillers and alcohol for years and had been to rehabilitation clinics several times. During a recent television appearance, Perry surprised audiences by admitting he suffered from severe anxiety “every night” while filming Friends.
In a memoir published last year, he confessed to undergoing 65 drug treatments and spending more than $9 million.
“I should be dead”
According to TMZ, no drugs were found at the actor’s crime scene on Saturday.
In addition to “Friends,” Perry also appeared in films such as “Fools Rush In” and “The Whole Nine Yards.”
He had undergone several surgeries related to his drug addiction issues, including a seven-hour colon surgery in 2018, to the point where he said one day, “I should be dead.”
Alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry ensured the success of this television series beloved by American youth and beyond.
In the end, the six heroes received around a million dollars per episode. According to Variety, they even negotiated a fee of $2.5 million each to film a reunion show in 2021. During this episode, Matthew Perry raised the fears of his fans by visibly stammering his words.
Matthew Perry was born in Massachusetts (Northeast) to Canadian and American parents and grew up in Canada before moving to Los Angeles. The series “Friends” was a huge hit with audiences and left its mark on a generation of viewers.
Releasing on Netflix allowed the series to attract new audiences, confirming the enduring popularity of the sitcom, a genre that many said was in decline.