“Friends” Star Matthew Perry was found dead Saturday in a hot bathtub in a Los Angeles home, law officials confirmed. Perry was 54 years old.
Authorities were dispatched around 4 p.m. to his residence and found him in a state of unconsciousness. The sources spoke under the condition of anonymity since the investigation was still ongoing but did not give any reason for the death.
The police did not find any drugs on the scene, according to sources. In addition, no foul play is believed to be involved, as per law officials. Perry’s representative, Perry, has not yet responded to The Times’ request for information.
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What Does LAPD Say about ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry dead?
The LAPD’s murder-by-robbery detectives are looking into the death. The causes of death will be determined at a later time at the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
“We are terribly saddened by the loss of our beloved buddy Matthew Perry,” Warner Bros. Television Group, who created “Friends,” said in an email to The Times. “Matthew was an extremely talented actor and an irreplaceable part in his Warner Bros. Television Group family. The power of his comedy was felt all over the world, and the legacy of his work will continue to live through the souls of many. It is a sad day, and we extend our condolences to his loved ones, his family members, ones, and all of his faithful supporters.”
“We are extremely sorrowful over the quick death of Matthew Perry,” NBC that, aired the show for the entire ten seasons, stated in an announcement in an email to The Times. “He brought joy to millions of viewers around the globe through his perfectly synchronized comedic timing as well as hilarious and witty wit. His legacy will continue over many generations.”
Saturday evening, black and yellow LAPD police crime scene tape was erected on the road leading into Bluesail Drive. This tony street is located away from the Pacific Coast Highway at the summit of a hill, with stunning panoramas towards the Pacific Ocean.
Just after 7 p.m. As multiple helicopters were flying over the sky, Perry’s mother, Suzanne, along with her husband, journalist Keith Morrison, joined the reporters as well as LAPD officers who were on the scene. Morrison did not respond to requests for comment. An LAPD officer on the scene said that he was unaware of any information and was not aware of when information would be released.
Peter is a neighbour of Perry’s house on Bluesail Drive who declined to reveal his last name on Saturday night, said he spoke with the actor for about five minutes and said the actor was “very nice” and a “nice person.”
“It’s quite shocking,” Peter said as he waited for the LAPD, which had barred journalists from examining the tapes of police, to approve the entry of his son. “He’s had this house renovated for years and looked well. It’s extremely sad.”
Leo, another neighbour who refused to reveal his name in full, told me the neighbour was in the house when an ambulance showed up at Perry’s residence on Saturday afternoon. He refused to reveal if ambulance personnel attempted to revive Perry and if the corpse had been removed from the house. Also read Jenna Ortega Not Allowed to Play Famous Wednesday Addams on Netflix Anymore.
“I was stunned,” he said. “It was extremely disturbing and sad, after all the years.”
Perry was among his most loved performers, Leo said and was the most fun from the “Friends” ensemble.
“I met him once, and he was and very welcoming. Much more than I expected,” Leo said. “It’s certainly a tragedy, especially considering the younger age,” the actor said. “I was extremely sad to learn of what transpired.”
Perry was born to the actor John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Marie Langford, a former press secretary for Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He was born in 1969. He grew up in Montreal and Los Angeles after his parents split at 1. Perry was just one.
He began his career by acting as a kid, appearing in guest spots in the shows “Charles in Charge” and “Beverly Hills 90210” as well as playing alongside River Phoenix in the film “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon” in the 1980s and 1990s. Also read Bill Belichick wins historic victory; Kansas City Chiefs Vs Philadelphia Eagles, Chiefs claim victories: All you need to know about Sunday’s NFL Week 7.
However, his biggest break was when he was a part of the cast in “Friends” initially called “Friends like Us” -the sitcom about six New Yorkers who are single and who are navigating adulthood. The show premiered in 1994 on NBC on the 14th of April.
The show quickly became a massive success, serving as the anchor of the network’s highly acclaimed Thursday night “Must-See television” lineup. It also made Perry, along with his castmates Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, into superstars in hours. The series reached its peak (for a 1996 Super Bowl episode and the season finale in 2004; the show surpassed 50 million live viewers. At its conclusion, the cast members earned over $1 million for each episode.
In the role of Chandler Bing, the handsome and wise-cracking friend of Joey Tribbiani’s LeBlanc and, later, the Cox’s passionate Monica Geller, Perry distinguished himself in a dazzling ensemble in the cast. Through his casual delivery, Perry created a catchy phrase with a single inflection based on the conversation the two of them had shared with their old friends from his childhood. Who could be anything like Chandler?
Then, he was linked to big stars such as Julia Roberts and appeared in important films like 1997’s romantic comedy “Fools Rush In,” which starred Salma Hayek and the 2001’s ensemble mob comedy “The Nine Yards” featuring Bruce Willis.
There was a darker aspect to the life of one of TV’s most loved comedians, however. In his memoir from 2022, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry recounted his struggles with addiction to opioids and alcohol. Perry wrote that he had his first drink at age 14 but didn’t realize the symptoms of alcoholism until he was 21.
In the years since, he estimated that he’d spent over $7 million trying to be sober, including several times in rehabilitation. The substance abuse he was suffering from resulted in a variety of health problems, which included a hospitalization of five months in the year 2018 due to an intestinal rupture, which left him, as he wrote, with a 2 percent chance of making it through the night.
The motivation was the pressure to make the “Friends” reunion show in 2021 due to the pressure to make the joke before an audience live in the studio each night.
“Nobody was looking to be more famous than me,” Perry told The Times in April. He was talking about “Friends Lovers, Friends as well as the Great Terrible Thing” in the Festival of Books. “I believed that this was the solution. When I turned 25, it was the second season of the show ‘Friends.’ 8 months later, I realized that the American dream wasn’t satisfying me, and it was not filling the gaps that I had. I needed to get more attention. “Fame will not always do what you imagine it will accomplish. This was just a trick.”
Perry is honoured on his death by his friends and colleagues like Selma Blair Paget, Brewster Morgan Fairchild and Mira Sorvino as a singular comic artist and a kind soul.
Perry’s “Friends” co-star Maggie Wheeler, who played his off-and-on girlfriend Janice in the cult show, posted an adorable message of appreciation to her co-star on the social media platform Instagram.
“What an awful loss. The world will be missing Mathew Perry.” Mathew Perry”,” the writer wrote. “The happiness that you provided to so many during your short life will continue to be felt. I am truly grateful for every moment of creativity you shared with us.”
The memorial was also paid in the presence of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Pierre’s son and one of Perry’s childhood buddies.
“Matthew Perry’s death is sad and shocking,” Trudeau wrote on the X. “I’ll forever remember the games at school we played and I’m sure that many people across the globe are not going to forget the joy he brought to them. Thank you for the laughter, Matthew. You were loved by everyone – and were missed.”
Although Perry said he’d experienced relapses “60 to 70 occasions” since he first began his recovery in 2001, Perry maintained his appearance in American television, starring in important roles in the dramedy backstage “Studio 60″ on the Sunset Strip” and therapy sitcom “Go On,” and having a steady flow guests on well-known programs like “The West Wing” and “The Good Wife.”
After his near-death experience in the year 2018, Perry was able to find comfort with his friends, playing a lot of pickleball, and more importantly, writing. While writing “Friends Lovers, Friends, and the Big Bad Thing” was a way for Perry to revisit his most painful times, the film also linked Perry to “all the people suffering out there”: “I had a story to tell, a tale that could be a real help to others,” he wrote. “And helping others was the solution for me.”
For all his successes in the field of acting and, in recent times, in the field of memoirists with a huge following, Perry told The Times in April that his writing did not constitute the main focus of what he believed would be his legacy.
When asked what he would prefer to be remembered, the man replied: “As a guy who lived his life, was a good person and lived well, he was a good person who helped others. Being able to meet me was a positive thing and not something that was bad.”