Matthew Perry Dead: 'Friends' Cast Breaks Silence on His Untimely Passing
Friends cast
The stars of Friends are mourning one of their own.
Following the news that Matthew Perry—who was best known for playing Chandler Bing on the '90s sitcom—died at age 54 on Oct. 28, fans awaited statements from his longtime co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow.
The surviving five main Friends stars didn't immediately react on social media. However, the official Friends and Warner Bros. TV Instagram accounts posted a shared statement.
"We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry's passing," the message read. "He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans."
Other Friends cast members posted tributes, too—including Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler’s mother.
“I’m heartbroken about the untimely death of my ‘son’, Matthew Perry,” Fairchild wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his friends & family, especially his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I worked with on Flamingo Road & Falcon Crest.”
Maggie Wheeler, who portrayed Chandler's ex, Janice, also remembered Perry.
"What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry," Wheeler wrote on Instagram. "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. ??"
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Paul Rudd, who played Mike Hannigan, a boyfriend of Phoebe (Kudrow) on Friends, paid tribute as well. Rudd wrote via Instagram, "Words can’t express how saddened I am to hear of Matthew’s passing. You will be missed so so so dearly ??."
Aisha Tyler—who portrayed Charlie Wheeler, a love interest for Joey (LeBlanc) and Ross (Schwimmer)—took to Instagram as well.
"He had a gentleness and generosity of spirit that was unparalleled," she wrote. "I learned how to tell a joke perfectly just by watching him work. And I will never forget the moment he leaned in, on my first night of taping Friends, to tell me warmly, 'get ready for your life to change.' Rest well, Matthew Perry. Thank you for the kindness and laughter. ??????"
Meanwhile, Paget Brewster, who was romantically involved with Chandler as Cathy, wrote, "I’m so very sad to hear about @MatthewPerry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though.. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there."
I’m so very sad to hear about @MatthewPerry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though.. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.
— paget brewster (@pagetpaget) October 29, 2023
Perry's TV parent Kathleen Turner also mourned the loss, telling People she was "very sad for Matthew." She also told the publication that Perry supported her while on Broadway, though, the last time she saw him was about a decade ago. Still, his charm and personality was something she'll always remember. "I liked him," she said. "He had a good sense of humor and a good heart. he liked other people, which, to me, is terribly important, especially for an actor."
“It’s extremely sad when you think about how young [he was] and a pity he couldn’t get more control.” Referring to the rest of the Friends cast, she added, “I can’t imagine the pressure those guys lived under being a worldwide phenomenon. It must have been overwhelming."
Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as executive producer Kevin Bright, also released a statement following Perry's passing. “We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing,” they penned in a joint statement obtained by People. “It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent.”
On working closely with Perry for 10 seasons, the TV legends continued, “It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.”
"We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well," the trio added. "He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
News of Perry's passing broke on Oct. 28, when it was reported that the Serving Sara actor died from an apparent drowning in a Los Angeles, Calif. home. Per TMZ, no drugs were found at the scene and no foul play is currently suspected.
Perry previously opened up about his longtime battle with alcohol and drug addiction in his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir. In the 2022 book, Perry detailed a previous near-death experience that occurred in 2018.
According to the late actor, while living in a sober living house, his colon "exploded" after years of past opioid use.
The incident left him in a coma for two weeks and a five-month stay in the hospital.
"I had been on opiates, and off opiates, and back on different opiates for so long that I suffered from a situation that only a subset of the population gets," Perry penned. "Opiates cause constipation. It's kind of poetic. I was so full of s--t it almost killed me."
As Perry detailed, his family was told at the time, "'Matthew has a two percent chance of making it through the night.' I will have to live out the rest of my days knowing that my mother and others heard those words."
Next: 'Friends' Fans Flock to Social Media to Pay Tribute to Matthew Perry
