Comedian Matthew Perry of Friends passes away at the age of 54

 Comedian Matthew Perry of Friends passes away at the age of 54

At the age of 54, American actor Matthew Perry, best known for portraying the witty Chandler Bing in the popular TV comedy Friends from the 1990s, has away.

US media was informed by law enforcement sources that the actor was discovered deceased at his Los Angeles residence.

Friends was a television series that ran from 1994 to 2004 and featured the lives of six teenage friends who lived in New York City.

With 52.5 million viewers in the US, its climactic episode became the most viewed TV show of the new millennium.

The actor was discovered unconscious in a hot tub at his home, according to the LA Times and TMZ, who broke the first news of Perry's death.

First responders were called to an address in the Pacific Palisades region about a "water emergency" of an unidentified kind, a Los Angeles Fire Department representative told the BBC. Perry was not mentioned in the statement.

Perry has been called a "true gift to us all" by Warner Bros., the production company behind the beloved long-running sitcom whose worldwide repeats appealed to new generations of fans.

Born in 1969 in Massachusetts, Perry grew up in Ottawa, Canada, where he went to primary school with Justin Trudeau, the future prime leader of Canada.

The leader of Canada posted on X, saying, "I'm shocked and saddened by Matthew Perry's demise. I know that people all throughout the globe will always remember the pleasure he offered them, and I myself will never forget the games we used to play in the playground. Matthew, I appreciate all of the laughs. You will be missed, and you were loved."

When Perry was a teenager, he went to Los Angeles. In addition to playing Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys, he had parts in other television series including Growing Pains.

However, he rose to fame throughout the globe on the television program Friends, which chronicled the romantic, professional, and friendship struggles of six New Yorkers.

The comedy, which co-starred Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer, went on to become one of the all-time greatest hits.

Perry was chosen to play uncomfortable Chandler Bing, who is well-known for his witty one-liners and immature interactions with roommate Joey Tribbiani. He was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for the performance.

Perry, however, battled alcohol and painkiller addiction throughout the height of his celebrity, and he often visited rehabilitation centers.

He admitted to drinking and using drugs during the three years he spent shooting Friends in a 2016 interview with BBC Radio 2.

He said that he didn't watch the program in an interview from the previous year.

"I didn't watch the show, and haven't seen any the show, because I had the option of 'Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,'" he declared. "I could tell from my appearance, season after season. I don't want to watch it because of what I perceive from it.

"But I think I'm going to start to look out it because it's been a wonderful experience to watch it touch the hearts across numerous generations."

Due to his drug use, Perry had health issues in 2018 that included a ruptured colon that needed many surgeries.

Reporter Sean Mandell of Entertainment Weekly called the general reaction in Los Angeles "shock" and a "ubiquitous response" to the news that Perry had passed away.

He told BBC News that Perry was "at the hub of the wheel" and had a significant role in the development of Friends.

"His character had the ideal blend of whit, but also true heart and it seemed grounded," he said.

In addition, Perry starred in a number of movies, such as Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, and the Whole Nine Yards. However, he was never able to replicate the enormous acclaim and notoriety he had in Friends on screen.

On the other hand, his subsequent TV work received considerable praise.

In Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing, he played assistant White House lawyer Joe Quincy, which led him two Emmy nods in 2003 and 2004 for best guest actor in a drama series. After playing the title part in Sorkin's subsequent series, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, he went on to write and produce Mr. Sunshine, a program in which he again portrayed the title role.

His last major television endeavor, apart from the Friends reunion, was a three-season American TV revival of The Odd Couple. When Perry got on set in 2017 and saw that his face had been painted over with green paint on the stage entrance, he tweeted that he found out it was being canceled.

Among Perry's co-stars, Maggie Wheeler—who portrayed Chandler's problematic ex-girlfriend Janice in the television series Friends—was the first to publicly honor the actor.

Wheeler said that Perry's "too short lifetime will live on" and the happiness he offered to "so many".

She posted on Instagram, saying, "I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared."

Morgan Fairchild, who portrayed erotic novelist Nora Bing and the mother of Matthew Perry on film, expressed her sorrow at the premature passing of her "son."

"The loss of such a brilliant younger actor is a shock," she said.

Selma Blair, who starred in Cruel Intentions, described Matthew Perry as her "oldest boy friend" and continued, saying, "We all loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially." Each and every day. My affection for him was unwavering. And I him.

"I'm also broken. crushed to pieces. Matty, sweet dreams. Dreams sweet."

A few days ago, he posted his last Instagram picture, which shows him lounging by a rooftop pool. Since then, admirers have been posting homage to it in droves.

After his parents John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Perry separated when he was a baby, Perry left them. He is the half-sibling of five.

He never got married and didn't have any kids.

Perry claimed to have drawn inspiration from his father, an actor who made an appearance as Mr. Bergin, Rachel's romantic partner Josh's father, in a 1997 episode of Friends.