At the age of 54, American actor Matthew Perry, best known for portraying the witty Chandler Bing in the popular TV comedy Friends from the 1990s, has away.

US media was informed by law enforcement sources that the actor was discovered deceased at his Los Angeles residence.

Friends was a television series that ran from 1994 to 2004 and featured the lives of six teenage friends who lived in New York City.

With 52.5 million viewers in the US, its climactic episode became the most watched TV show of the new millennium.

The actor was discovered unconscious in a hot tub at his home, according to the LA Times and TMZ, who broke the initial news of Perry’s passing.

First responders were called to an address in the Pacific Palisades region about a “water emergency” of an unidentified nature, a Los Angeles Fire Department official told the BBC. Perry was not mentioned in the statement.

Perry was hailed by Warner Bros., the company that created the enduring program whose worldwide reruns delighted fresh audiences, as a “true gift to us all”.

Born in 1969 in Massachusetts, Perry grew up in Ottawa, Canada, where he went to primary school with Justin Trudeau, the future prime leader of Canada.

The death of Matthew Perry is startling and saddening, as stated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an article on X. I know that people all throughout the world will always remember the joy he offered them, and I myself will never forget the games we used to play in the playground. Matthew, I appreciate all of the laughs. You will be missed, and you were loved.

When Perry was a teenager, he went to Los Angeles. In addition to playing Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys, he had parts in other television series like Growing Pains.

However, he rose to fame throughout the globe on the television program Friends, which chronicled the dating, professional, and friendship struggles of six New Yorkers.

The comedy, which co-starred Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer, went on to become one of the all-time greatest hits.+

Perry was chosen to play uncomfortable Chandler Bing, who is well-known for his witty one-liners and immature interactions with roommate Joey Tribbiani. He was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for the performance.

Perry, however, battled alcohol and painkiller addiction throughout the height of his celebrity, and he frequently visited rehabilitation centers.

He said in 2016 on BBC Radio 2 that alcohol and narcotics prevented him from remembering the three years he spent filming Friends.

He mentioned that he didn’t watch the show in an interview from the previous year.

“I haven’t watched the show and I didn’t watch it because I could go, ‘Drinking, cocaine, drinking, opiates,’” he declared. “I could tell from my appearance, season by season. I don’t want to watch it because of what I perceive from it.

“However, I believe I will begin to watch it as it has touched the hearts of many generations, which has been an amazing experience.”

Sean Mandell, an entertainment reporter, characterized the general lack of belief in Perry’s death in Los Angeles as “shock” and a “ubiquitous response.”

He told BBC News that Perry was “at the hub of the wheel” and had a significant role in the development of Friends.

He added, “His character had the ideal balance of wit, true heart, and groundedness.”

In addition, Perry starred in a number of movies, such as Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, and the Whole Nine Yards. However, he was never able to replicate the enormous acclaim and notoriety he achieved in Friends on screen.

On the other hand, his subsequent TV work received some praise.

In 2003 and 2004, he was nominated twice for an Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for his work as associate White House lawyer Joe Quincy in Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing. After playing the title part in Sorkin’s later series, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, he went on to write and produce Mr. Sunshine, a show in which he also portrayed the title role.

With the exception of the Friends reunion, his last major TV endeavor was a three-season American TV revival of The Odd Couple. When Perry got on set in 2017 and saw that his face had been painted over with green paint on the stage door, he tweeted that he found out it was being canceled.

Among Perry’s co-stars, Maggie Wheeler—who portrayed Chandler’s problematic ex-girlfriend Janice in the television series Friends—was the first to publicly honor the actor.

The happiness Perry offered to “so many” during his “too short lifetime will live on,” according to Wheeler.

She posted on Instagram, saying, “I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”

Morgan Fairchild, who portrayed erotic novelist Nora Bing and the mother of Matthew Perry on film, expressed her heartbreak over the premature passing of her “son.”

“It is shocking to lose such a talented young actor,” she continued.

Selma Blair, who starred in Cruel Intentions, described Matthew Perry as her “oldest boy friend” and continued, saying, “We all loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially.” Each and every day. My love for him was unwavering. And I him.

“And I’m not whole. crushed to pieces. Matty, sweet dreams. Dreams sweet.

Matthew Perry posted his last Instagram picture five days ago. The picture he posted of himself in a hot tub was eerie.