On October 28th, Matthew Perry passed away at age 54. He was found unresponsive by his assistant in his jacuzzi in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
Perry’s most infamous role was Chandler Bing, in the number one most popular TV show, on NBC, Friends. The show is one of the most followed and watched television series of all time, and the cast was shown to be very close outside of filming.
Due to the show’s popularity, most people wondered how the other cast members, including Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc, were handling the news of his sudden passing; however, this is not what Perry wanted.
Over the years it has been known that Perry struggled with drug addiction, and he spoke about it in depth in his memoir, released on November 1st, 2022, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. He mentioned that he had spent more than $7 million dollars, and visited rehab fifteen times, on his journey to sobriety.
In an interview with a radio host Tom Power, in Toronto, Perry said he wanted his journey to sobriety to be remembered when he passed away, not Friends
“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving that,” Perry said, in regards to his advocacy work helping people overcome their drug addictions.
Arguably the most heart-breaking, and bone-chilling, interview was held in 2004, when Jennifer Aniston was asked by Diane Sawyer, how much Perry meant to her.
“He struggled. We didn’t know. We weren’t equipped to deal with it. Nobody had ever dealt with that. And the idea of even losing him… he’s having a road. But he’s alright,” Aniston said tearfully.
This interview showed how much love the cast, especially Aniston, had for Perry and proved how his addiction affected everyone he was close with.
The surviving members of the cast spoke out in a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are family. In time we will say more, as and when we are able, for now, our thoughts and our love is with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world,” the statement said.
Most suspicions are pointing to a drug overdose, considering Perry’s history, and bizarre cause of death, but this may not be the case.
In an interview in October 2022, he spoke to New York Times, and said he has been sober since early 2021. Perry’s close friend said that she had seen him the day before he passed, and was “100% sober,” according to Fox News.
On November 3rd, a private funeral was hosted at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Los Angeles, where the surviving members of the Friends cast attended.
