By Olivia Harrison
Staff-Writer
Actor Matthew Perry has died at 54.
Best known for playing Chandler Bing from the 90's sitcom “Friends,” Perry was found dead in his Hollywood home on Oct. 28 at 4 p.m.
Police reported to the LA Times that Perry was found unresponsive in his hot tub. The investigation is currently ongoing, but there is no sign of foul play. His autopsy records were released to intimate family members on Oct. 30.
Matthew Perry was born in Williamstown, M.A., on Aug. 19, 1969. In 1979, Perry’s career began taking off with a small part in the show “240-Robert.” He then moved to Los Angeles and continued to audition as a child actor. His breakthrough came in 1991 where he starred as a guest on "Beverly Hills 90210" and ABC's "Home Free.”
On "Friends" he played the well-loved character Chandler Bing, alongside fellow co-stars Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc, for a total of 10 years. He was the youngest actor of the cast.
Although Perry had many highlights of his career, there were dark ones as well. Perry found himself in and out of rehab struggling with alcoholism, a vicodin and meth addiction, as well as other mental health issues. His fellow co-stars on "Friends" even knew what was going on; there was an instance Perry remembered specifically where Aniston walked into his trailer and claimed she could really "smell the alcohol." In his 2022 memoir, Perry wrote that her statement "hit him like a sledgehammer."
Perry had recently published an autobiography, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” a memoir about his life and career. He was an advocate for those struggling with addiction, lobbying Congress for support of drug courts as well as opening his own halfway house, "The Perry House.”
Perry will be missed and remembered by millions of people worldwide and his friends and family. Admirers from around the world came to Chandler’s New York apartment and adorned it with flowers and sweet messages, mourning him.
He will be fondly remembered by those around him for his work on "Friends," as well as his beautiful humor.
