According to sources, Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the iconic American television comedy Friends, was found dead on Saturday at his Los Angeles home.
The 54-year-old actor was discovered in a hot tub and drowned. The cause of death has yet to be determined. According to law enforcement sources, officers responded to his home at 04:00 p.m., where he was discovered unresponsive. At this point, no foul play is suspected.
“We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry,” said in a statement Warner Bros Television Group, which produced all ten seasons of Friends. “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.”
Matthew Perry, who was born in Massachusetts in 1969, shot to prominence as Chandler Bing in the hit television series Friends. This popular program, starring Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer, became a cultural sensation, collecting multiple Emmys and smashing viewership records. Its 2004 finale is still one of the most-watched television episodes of the decade.
Perry experimented in both television and film throughout his career, appearing in films such as Fools Rush In, Three to Tango, and The Whole Nine Yards. After Friends, he appeared in shows like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and made cameo appearances on The Good Wife and The Good Fight.
Perry also starred in a number of sitcoms, including Go On and a three-season revival of The Odd Couple. In 2016, he debuted as a playwright and starred in The End of Longing, which premiered in the West End and eventually moved to Broadway. However, Perry struggled with personal issues and addiction, which he detailed in his 2022 book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
“At this point in my life,” Perry wrote in Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, “the words of gratitude pour out of me because I should be dead, and yet somehow I am not.”
