Most people know the famous actor Matthew Perry from his work on the hit TV show, Friends. Matthew Perry played Chandler Bing on the series in the late 90s. He unfortunately passed away on October 28th, 2023. He was 54. He was found in his home in his hot tub by his assistant. He was said to have drowned. Perry was a famous actor in the late 90s and early 2000s in multiple shows and movies. Matthew Perry was surrounded by so much love from his family and his five other cast members from Friends: Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, and David Schwimmer. All five cast members were recently seen at a private funeral for Perry. On November 7th, Entertainment Tonight presented a special episode called “Matthew Perry: Life and Legacy” to honor his life and what he left behind. Friends was a popular TV show in the late 90s that many people still love to this day. Warner Bros released a statement on Perry’s death, “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family. The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans” (Corriston and Rice). This quote from Warner Bros fans how much he was loved by the industry in Hollywood and all of the people who had worked with him.
The cause of Perry’s death is still being investigated, but his death certificate was recently released with no cause of death. There are many speculations going on about Perry’s past addictions with drugs and alcohol, and if that had anything to do with his death. Inspections were done to his house but nothing was found in his house or nearby. In the most recent news about Matthew Perry, there is going to be a coffee shop in NYC called “Central Perk; Coffee and Co” in honor of him. The coffee shop will be doing a bunch of things to honor Perry’s legacy throughout their first week open: “Central Perk Coffeehouse will distribute the Chandler Bing ‘Can I Interest You in a Sarcastic Comment’ sleeve exclusively for the entire day, in honor of the life and enduring legacy of Matthew Perry” (Johnson). The coffee shop is doing many other things to involve iconic moments from Friends that have to do with Perry including the concept, the food, the drinks, and the merchandise. Alongside all of these things happening in Perry’s honor, he did write a famous memoir that was published one year ago. His book is called, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir. In his memoir, he talked about his struggles with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Not only did he speak about his struggles, he spoke about his divorce from his late wife, his childhood, and becoming a star tennis player before his acting career became. He also mentions how his fame rose when he started acting on Friends as Chandler Bing. The title of his book relates to how he struggled with addiction and how his battle turned into some very life-threatening.
There is a chilling quote in Perry’s memoir that shocked the world when news broke out about his death, “It is very odd to live in a world where if you died, it would shock people but surprise no one.” This quote was said by Perry and it relates to him very well; everybody was shocked about his death, but it was not a surprise to anybody because of the many health conditions that could have been associated with him due to his history of substance abuse and self-destructive behavior. Overall, Matthew Perry will live on forever because of the incredible legacy he left behind.
