With thousands of tributes pouring in for Matthew Perry, following his death at home on Saturday, one of the most simple but moving has come from the team behind Friends, the sitcom that defined an era and made a star of Perry and his castmates.
The official Friends account has posted a simple picture of Perry on its Instagram account, alongside the words:
“We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans.”
Meanwhile, co-star Maggie Wheeler – who played Chandler Bing’s on-off romantic interest Janice Hosenstein with her scene-stealing “Oh my god” squeal resounding throughout the series – has shared her sadness at Perry’s death:
“What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry (sic). The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
The actor was found dead in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, with media reporting that first responders were called to “a water emergency” in late afternoon. Perry had reportedly been playing a game of pickleball before relaxing in his jacuzzi. He had posted an idyllic-looking picture of himself in the same spot – headphones on, view of the Hollywood hills – just a few days before.
Tributes have come from all the over world to the actor, who played Chandler Bing in ten seasons of Friends. Alongside David Schwimmer, Matt Le Blanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courtenay Cox and Lisa Kudrow, Perry became a household name, but his memoir released last year revealed the personal burdens he carried during the filming of the series.
A jet-ski accident in 1997 ignited an addiction to pain killers that segued into a catalogue of dependencies. He wrote that he had been sober since 2001, barring “60 or 70 relapses.” While he focused on his own sobriety, he became a passionate advocate for more compassion and understanding of drug offenders, and opened his own sober home, The Perry House, in Malibu.
