Actor Matthew Perry, known for playing Chandler Bing in the popular series Friends, died this Saturday at the age of 54, according to several American media reports. The Los Angeles Times notes, citing law enforcement sources, that he was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
The authorities went to his home around 4:00 p.m. local time (one in the morning in Spain) and found him unconscious there, the newspaper notes. "There were no signs of any criminal act," said the Los Angeles Police Department in charge of robberies and homicides, which is investigating the death.
Warner Bros. Television said the studio, behind Friends, was "devastated" after learning of Perry's death. "Our heart goes out to his family, his loved ones and all of his fans," he expressed on X (Twitter).
As the actor himself confessed years ago, throughout his life he has suffered several episodes of drug and alcohol addiction.
Perry gained his popularity in the series of this group of friends, played by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, which lasted no more and no less than 10 seasons.
Castmates in the production that made him internationally known and other professional colleagues dedicated words of tribute to the interpreter, who had been fighting for a long period against his addiction to alcohol and other drugs. "The world will miss you, Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your short life will live on. I feel very blessed for every creative moment we shared," Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice, posted on her networks. Chandler's girlfriend on Friends.
For her part, Selma Blair, who played Wendy in the same series, shared on her Instagram profile a photo with Perry in which she detailed that "all" the cast members loved "especially the actor" and that his loss he had left his "heart broken."
"I am very sad (...) Matthew Perry was charming to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades since," wrote actress Paget Brewster, who played Kathy in the series - a character with whom Chandler had a close relationship. relationship -, before adding that Perry "won't rest in peace because he'll be too busy making everyone up there laugh."
Other figures such as Octavia Spencer, nominated for the Oscar for best supporting actress for Hidden Figures (2016), also spoke about Perry's death, expressing her "enormous sadness", but ensuring that "her gift to the world will be remembered forever" by family, friends, television stars and "millions of fans around the world."
Others referenced Perry's struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction, which he spoke about publicly throughout his career, especially in his memoirs, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. "It was hard to see him struggle with his alcoholism over the years. But he was brave and helped many people by making his battles public. He was loved by many," said Chad Lowe (Life Goes On) in the networks of him.
Beyond Friends, Perry starred in films such as The Ron Clark Story, 17 Again, Fools Rush In or The Whole Nine Yards, in which he shared the screen with Bruce Willis.
