According to many media reports, actor Matthew Perry, who gained popularity for playing Chandler Bing in the cherished television series “Friends,” went suddenly at the age of 54. Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home on a Saturday after what seemed to be a drowning, according to the Los Angeles Times, TMZ, and other sources. The LAPD further stated that they responded to a request for a death investigation involving a man in his 50s at Perry’s residence.
Matthew Perry dies at 54
At the age of 24, Matthew Perry was selected for the “Friends” ensemble, which launched him to prominence. Throughout the 10 seasons of the sitcom, he played Chandler, the witty yet commitment-phobic character who finally fell in love with Courteney Cox’s character, Monica Geller. Perry praised the character and the program in an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC News Nightline, calling it the greatest period of his life.
In the background, Perry struggled with addiction. In his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” he spoke up about his decades-long battle with alcohol and drug misuse. The book was dedicated to people who are also battling addiction. Perry talked about his traumatic experience with drug usage and the health problems it caused, including repeated hospital stays, detoxification procedures, and surgeries.
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The actor gave a motivational speech on why he decided to share his tale, saying that it kept him going to think about the individuals he could assist. He hid his addiction while on stage and talked about the unhealthy strain he felt to make the program successful, saying that he was under a lot of stress to make the live audience laugh.
Perry’s co-star and close friend Lisa Kudrow characterized him as the guy who constantly tries to make everyone else happy.
Perry was nominated for two Emmys for his work on “Friends,” and he won two more for his dramatic portrayal of an assistant White House attorney on “The West Wing.” He had appearances in a number of motion pictures and television shows, including “Fools Rush In,” “The Whole Nine Yards,” “17 Again,” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”
Perry was born in Massachusetts, although he lived his early years in several places in Canada, often bouncing between his parents’ divided houses in Los Angeles and Montreal. In his younger years, he also competed as a junior tennis player in Canada, ranking nationally.
The actor apparently built a pickleball court at his Pacific Palisades home out of his later-life love for the game.
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