Actor Matthew Perry, who sadly went yesterday, brought joy to millions of people worldwide with his iconic portrayal of Chandler Bing. Unfortunately, even though he could make people laugh, he spent years battling addiction and was unable to help himself.
Perry opened up about his battle with addiction in his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which was published last year. Among other things, he revealed some details about co-star Jennifer Aniston.
The hot tub at Perry’s Los Angeles residence was found to be non-operational during the weekend. The exact cause of his death is still being looked into.
Born in 1969 to Canadian parents and American father, the actor made his screen debut in 1988’s A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, which also featured the late River Phoenix.
Alongside Valerie Bertinelli, he starred in Growing Pains in Sydney and Beverly Hills, 90210.
His portrayal of the sardonic Chandler Bing in Friends marked his breakthrough performance. He worked there for ten years, from 1994 to 2004.
During the course of his multi-decade career, Perry costarred in the romantic comedy Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek in 1997. Additionally, he acted alongside Bruce Willis in the movies The Whole Nine Yards (2000) and The Whole Ten Yards (2004).
After securing a part in Friends, one of the most popular television shows ever, Perry rose to fame. But it was also during that time that he started abusing alcohol.
I could somewhat of do it. But by the time I was 34, I was really into a lot of trouble,” Perry admitted. I did, however, stay sober for a few of those years. Season 9 was the year I remained sober the whole time. Do you know which season I was nominated for best actor? I reasoned that should tell me something.
After being hospitalized in 2018 for a stomach perforation, he went through a health crisis. He was unconscious for two weeks and in a coma for five months.
“The doctors told my family that I had a two percent chance to live,” Perry said in an interview with People. I was put on an ECMO machine, which performs all of your breathing—both lung and cardiac. That is known as a Hail Mary. Nobody takes that farther.
Because the Friends cast members were friends in real life as well as on screen, Perry frequently admitted that they were aware of his addiction and offered assistance.
They were so understanding and patient. It looks like a penguin. When one of the penguins in the wild gets sick or hurt, they usually help and cuddle up to each other. They circle it until that penguin learns to walk on its own. Perry said, “For me, the actors kind of did that.”
But Jennifer Aniston was the one who stood by his side no matter what. She was the one who stayed in close contact with him during his highs and lows.
“She was the one that reached out the most,” he said in an October 2022 interview with Diane Sawyer. “You know, I’m really grateful to her for that.”
Aniston was the first to confront him about his drinking problems at the same time.
In Perry’s book, Sawyer revealed something unexpected when he said, “Jennifer, she says, ‘We know you’re drinking.'”
“Yeah, imagine how scary a moment that was,” Perry retorted.
Following Perry’s tragic passing, admirers placed flowers outside the Friends apartment complex in Manhattan’s West Village.
Matthew was a much happier person in the world as an actor and friend. “You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the incredible outpouring of love,” they said in their statement.
Celebrities, colleagues, producers, and fans paid their respects to the late actor.
