Matthew Perry’s Friends costars pay tribute as cause of death unclear – latest update

Throughout his career, Perry brought talent in spades and, after his 10-year stint on Friends, oceans of goodwill. Fiona Sturges pays tribute:

Salma Hayek has said she will cherish the “silliness, perseverance, and lovely heart” of her late Fools Rush In co-star Matthew Perry.

While best known for playing witty and sarcastic Chandler Bing on hit sitcom Friends, Perry had described his starring role in the 1997 romantic comedy as “probably his best movie”.

Tributes from the entertainment world, including from the creators and supporting stars of Friends, have poured in since the news of Perry’s death aged 54 on Saturday.

Matthew Perry made no secret of his addiction struggles over the years, writing candidly about his substance abuse and attempts to stay sober in his affecting memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

Released in 2021, the book chronicled the exacerbation of Perry’s addiction under the “white-hot flame of fame” after he shot to international stardom, aged 24, as the wise-cracking Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends.

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name,” he wrote in the book’s opening passage. “My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

In the book, Perry recalled drinking heavily through the first two seasons of Friends, although he said he was never drunk or high on set, and then becoming addicted to the opiate pain medication Vicodin after a jet ski accident while filming Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek in 1996.

By the end of the 10th series of Friends, Perry became “entrenched in a lot of trouble”, he revealed years later.

The lead stars of Friends have paid emotional tribute to Matthew Perry in a joint statement shared two days after the Chandler Bing actor was found dead, aged 54.

Courteney Cox, who played Perry’s on-screen wife Monica, as well as Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc, joined forces to share a statement after the actor was found unresponsive having reportedly drowned in his hot tub at his LA home.

In a statement to People on Monday (30 October), the stars wrote: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.

“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

Having achieved stardom as the sardonic but loveable Chandler in the hugely popular sitcom, which launched in 1994 and ran for 10 seasons, Perry’s struggles with drugs and alcohol were well documented.

Read the full piece here:

Former Saturday Night Live writer Kevin Brennan has been widely criticised for joking about Perry’s death.

Following the announcement of Perry’s death, comedian Brennan – who wrote for SNL’s Weekend Update segment from 1999 to 2000 – posted a tweet laughing at the TMZ headline about the news.

The “disgusting” post prompted fury from fans, with one Twitter/X user questioning: “What the hell is wrong with you?” Another echoed: “This is gross, dude.”

“These words are utterly ridiculous for you to drum up the nerve to say at such a sensitive time for his family. Shame on you,” one commenter wrote.

However, Brennan doubled down, posting in response: “I didn’t mock it. I just thought it was funny.” On Sunday night, he tweeted: “Am I trending yet?”

In the wake of Matthew Perry’s tragic death, fans and collaborators of the 54-year-old actor have reflected on the star’s comic talents beyond the stage.

Despite Friends producers having kept an open door policy to the writers’ room, only Perry regularly contributed to scripts – often happily pitching up to ten jokes an episode while his co-stars unwound backstage.

My New York-based colleague Inga Parkel has been in the West Village this afternoon speaking to people who gathered outside the building used to portray the famous Friends apartment.

“Crowds of people have flocked to the corner of Grove Street and Bedford Street to pay their respects to Matthew Perry,” she writes.

“At the bottom of the intersection’s stop sign, outside the well-known apartment building exterior used as an establishing shot throughout the show’s 10 seasons, lay a beautiful collection of bouquets and several handwritten notes.”

Thitikamol Kaeokhieo, a 23-year-old Thai national who lives in Chicago told her Friends “kind of saved my life”.

“I’m here, far away from my family and friends in Thailand, so sometimes it’s really lonely,” they said.

In a statement sent to People on Monday (30 October), the Friends stars wrote: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”

“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

HBO’s streaming service, Max, has added a tribute card that appears at the start of every season of Friends on its platform.

“In memory of Matthew Perry 1969-2023,” reads the card, which flashes on screen for approximately five seconds before the famous Friends opening sequence. All 10 seasons of Friends are currently available to stream on Max in the US. UK viewers can watch all 10 seasons on Netflix.