The entertainment world is sadly mourning the tragic loss of Matthew Perry, who passed away over the weekend.
The 54-year-old actor was renowned for his role as Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom Friends, which aired for a decade from 1994 to 2004.
Perry also starred in a number of projects outside of Friends, including 17 Again, Fools Rush In, and Serving Sara.
Matthew Perry’s death
As previously reported, Perry was discovered lifeless in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles residence, with apparent drowning cited as the cause of death. While investigations into his passing continue, no drugs were discovered at the scene, and no foul play is suspected.
Sources have revealed that Perry returned home in the early hours after an extended pickleball session, where he assigned an errand to his assistant. However, when the assistant returned a couple of hours later, they found the actor unresponsive and promptly dialed 911.
Law enforcement has described the incident as a drowning, yet there have also been rumors of a cardiac arrest. In the years leading up to his passing, Perry had candidly discussed his battles with addiction and substance abuse. He was honest about his decision to embrace sobriety, which he says was driven by a profound fear of a dying.
Perry revealed his struggles with alcohol addiction throughout the majority of the Friends series, except for the entirety of season nine, during which he stayed sober. While he enjoyed periods of sobriety in between, Perry’s inability to control his drinking evoked fears of a tragic outcome.
He was proud of his triumph over alcohol addiction and substance abuse. His memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” was written with the intention of offering encouragement and hope to others starting out on their sobriety journey.
Perry also wrote about several terrifying effects of his alcoholism, some of which almost killed him. Once, he was rushed to the trauma room when his colon ruptured, and he spent two weeks in a coma and on life support. After the incident, Perry explained to ABC’s Nightline that he believed he survived so that he could share his story with others and extend a lifeline to those struggling with substance abuse.
In another incident in 2019, Perry’s heart stopped for five minutes while he was undergoing a medical procedure. The actor had been in surgery for a stomach issue, and during the operation, his heart completely stopped. Perry was resuscitated thanks to CPR, but it eight of his ribs were fractured in the process.
Matthew Perry’s final wish
Perry took immense pride in his triumph over alcohol addiction and substance abuse. In fact, less than a year before his death, he explained that, above all else, he wanted to be remembered for his efforts in helping people overcome alcoholism and drug addiction.
“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that,” he told Tom Power at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto in November, 2022.
Perry dedicated himself to proving his unwavering commitment to the battle against alcoholism, and his legacy was defined by a life well lived.
His ultimate aspiration was to be remembered as someone who overcame alcoholism and sought to light the way for others who faced similar struggles. It’s only fitting we remember him the way he wanted.
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Matthew Perry’s family, friends, and fans at this tragic time.
