Matthew Perry, renowned for his role as Chandler Bing on the iconic ’90s sitcom Friends, has passed away at 54. His lifeless body was discovered at his Los Angeles residence, with reports suggesting he was found unresponsive in a hot tub.
Friends, which chronicled the lives of six friends in New York, aired from 1994 to 2004, culminating in a record-breaking finale watched by 52.5 million in the US. Warner Bros, the show’s producer, hailed Perry as a “true gift to us all.”
Perry, who initially hailed from Massachusetts and later moved to Los Angeles, struggled with addiction during his Friends years, confessing to missing three years of filming due to alcohol and drug issues. Nonetheless, he garnered acclaim for his portrayal of Chandler Bing, earning an Emmy nomination in 2002.
In the wake of Friends, Perry ventured into various TV projects, such as The West Wing and Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, with limited success. His final significant TV endeavor was The Odd Couple, which lasted three seasons.
His co-stars and peers mourned his passing, with actress Maggie Wheeler, who portrayed Chandler’s ex-girlfriend Janice, expressing gratitude for the joy Perry brought during his “too short lifetime.”
On a somber note, just five days before his demise, Perry’s last Instagram post featured a haunting image of himself in a hot tub.