"Friends" star, Matthew Perry, celebrated
for his iconic role as Chandler Bing, tragically passed away on Saturday, October
28, at the age of 54. TMZ was the first to report that Perry was found in a hot tub
at his Los Angeles residence. The details surrounding his passing remain unclear,
although foul play has been ruled out. An official cause of death has yet to be disclosed.
While no drugs were discovered at the scene, sources indicated that prescription
medications were found in his home, necessitating toxicology analysis as an
integral part of the ongoing investigation. Perry's career was marked by memorable
roles not only in "Friends" but also in various other TV shows, including "Boys Will
Be Boys," "Growing Pains," "Ally McBeal," "The West Wing," and "Scrubs." He graced the big
screen with appearances in blockbuster films like "The Whole Nine Yards," "17 Again,"
"Fools Rush In," and "Three To Tango." In 1988, Perry made his debut in the film
industry with "A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon," where he shared the screen with Ione
Skye. Notably, they reconnected before his tragic passing on October 15. Ione shared their
heartfelt exchange on her Instagram account. Perry wrote, “Hi! I hope all is well. I
was meditating (I meditate now), and ‘In Your Eyes’ started playing. And I instantly
thought of you and how beautiful you are.” Perry's family also speaks
out after the actor's death. "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of
our beloved son and brother," his family said in a statement to People on October 29.
"Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend."
And we can't agree more. Friends cast and crew have united
in a chorus of heartfelt tributes. The co-creators of the series,
Marta Kauffman and David Crane, together with the executive producer Kevin Bright,
shared their profound sorrow, expressing that they were "shocked and deeply, deeply saddened."
Maggie Wheeler, renowned for her role as Perry's on-screen girlfriend Janice, poured
out her emotions on Instagram: "What a loss. The world will miss you, Matthew Perry."
Morgan Fairchild, who portrayed Perry's on-screen mom, turned to Twitter, saying,
'I'm heartbroken about the untimely death of my “son,” Matthew Perry. The loss of
such a brilliant young actor is a shock..." Kathleen Turner, who brought Perry’s on-screen
dad to life, revealed to PEOPLE that she is “very sad for Matthew.” She recounted an
endearing memory, "He came to see one of my Broadway shows, and he came backstage.
When he saw me, he yelled out, ‘Hey dad,’ and everyone thought it was pretty cool.”
Yet, the main 'Friends' stars remain silent in the face of their dear friend's passing,
still reeling from the sudden loss. Showbiz correspondent Kinsey Schofield revealed
on GB News Monday morning that the core cast of Friends is currently crafting a joint
statement, a testament to their shared grief. And we can only imagine the depth of this grief.
We were all profoundly moved by their heartwarming reunion in 2021. Sadly, the cast will never
have the chance to come together again. Friends: The Reunion was everything we wanted
and then some. Ranging from tearful, joyous hugs among the main six to fan-favourite
sneaky guest appearances and amusing, jaw-dropping revelations. But what got us all
wandering the most? Is it Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer's mutual crush? All the spicy
re-enactments, or maybe behind-the-scenes delish? Nope. Our beloved Matthew did. Tune in to learn
why fans were dazzled upon seeing Matthew Perry (AGAIN) when the Reunion finally aired and why the
director called some people commenting "unkind." It's Thursday night, and the die-hard
fans are glued to their screens. Fans took to Twitter to comment on Matthew Perry
again. On his teeth, to be specific. They were shocked by how white they appeared on camera. One
woman kicked off the discussion, writing: "I'm also massively thrown by Matthew Perry's teeth
#FriendsReunion." Another agreed as they too were distracted: "I'll be honest. I'm struggling to
get past Matthew Perry's teeth #FriendsReunion." Others joked that Matthew was
"re-enacting" the iconic season six episode, The One With Ross's Teeth.
"Matthew Perry's teeth in this Friends Reunion show reminds me of that episode
where Ross had brilliant white teeth that glowed in the dark," one of them said.
Some fans previously feared the "slurred" speech in the Friends Reunion promo
video could be a relapse or a stroke. When the trailer for the Reunion
Special landed, it was one of the most satisfying moments for people worldwide.
We saw the cast recreating an iconic scene from the sitcom and finally trying to settle
one of life’s greatest mysteries: were Ross and Rachel on a break? The actors were shown
reminiscing while wandering around the apartment sets and quizzing each other on plot lines.
However, it wasn’t all laughs. In one of the more touching moments, Jennifer Aniston is seen
comforting a visibly emotional Matthew Perry. At one point, Matthew got all choked up, his
voice quivering, and said: “Yep, I’m gonna cry now,” and Jen couldn’t help but place a hand
on his shoulder. That’s what friends are for. Not only that, but after the release of People’s
new interview, fans became incredibly concerned over the perceived status of Matthew’s
health. Several of them noted that Perry appeared to have slurred speech and an odd
gaze while answering whether he ever took a souvenir after the end of the show. “I stole the
cookie jar that had the clock on it,” he said, pronouncing a distinct “sh” sound at the
beginning of “stole.” His overall behaviour and off-sounding comments stunned everybody.
“When Matthew Perry was like about to cry, I was bawling,” one person said. “Hate
to say it, but I’m sad and scared like hell for Matthew Perry,” another fan wrote.
One fan came to the actor’s defence. “Matthew Perry has gone through so much ... don’t
lower down his confidence by commenting he is looking this or that way,” they wrote.
It was recently confirmed that Matthew had undergone an emergency dental
procedure that affected his speech and wellbeing while filming the Friends
Reunion interview. No one wants to film after getting dental work done, but it happens.
Friends' Reunion Director Ben Winston responded to controversial comments from concerned fans
the only way he could. Winston blatantly said that people can be unkind and that he
loved working with the actor, quote, "He's a brilliantly funny man. I felt just
happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this."
Whatever issues Matthew may have been dealing with, it didn't affect the renowned
director's experience on the show. Sadly, Ben also revealed that this would likely be
the last time fans would see Matthew and the rest of the Friends cast in this sort of setting.
Friends' producer Kevin S. Bright also pitched in on the matter, saying how great it was to see
Perry again. Bright elaborated that he thinks the actor is doing well and seems stronger
and better and excited about going forward. When the cast shared what they
think happened to their characters, Jen was adamant about their happiness. The
actor said they got married "and had some kids, and you're still playing with bones," referring
to David, who looked happy about all she said. Lisa Kudrow thinks Phoebe is happily married
to Mike and living in Connecticut. "I think she's like the advocate for her kids who
were a little different and all kids who were a little different, the arts program,
the music thing and all that," she shared. What about Joey? LeBlanc said he'd opened a
sandwich shop somewhere in Venice Beach. We'd like to get a taste of that, that's for sure.
Courtney, sharing her thoughts on Monica and Chandler, said, although their kids are
likely now graduated, Monica is still "really competitive" and that Chandler is making
her laugh every day. Aww, isn't she the sweetest?
