{"id":10327,"date":"2023-10-29T10:56:22","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T10:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=10327"},"modified":"2023-10-29T10:56:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T10:56:31","slug":"friends-star-matthew-perry-dead-at-54","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/friends-star-matthew-perry-dead-at-54\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Friends\u2019 star Matthew Perry dead at 54"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Matthew Perry<\/a>, the beloved actor who starred as Chandler Bing on \u201cFriends,\u201d has died. He was 54.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police in Los Angeles are investigating Perry\u2019s death, a law enforcement source told the media. There is currently no foul play suspected, the source said, however, the incident remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry died in an apparent drowning accident at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times<\/a>, citing law enforcement sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family,\u201d Warner Bros. Television Group said in a statement . \u201cThe impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cast of ‘Friends’ in Season 1. (l-r) Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry (second row) Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey tsaid a 911 call came in at 4:07 p.m. for a water rescue emergency. Humphrey said it is unclear what\u00a0body of water it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginnings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, to an actor father and a journalist mother, Perry went to live with her in Ottawa, Canada, as a youngster after his parents split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, Perry pursued his passion for tennis and became a top-ranked tennis player in Canada. Like his father, the younger Perry also developed an interest in acting after moving to Los Angeles when he was a teen to live with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry\u2019s first credited role was a small part in the drama \u201c240-Robert\u201d in 1979. From there other bit parts came his way in shows including \u201cCharles in Charge,\u201d \u201cSilver Spoons\u201d and \u201cThe Tracey Ullman Show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His first film role was while still in high school, playing opposite River Phoenix in the 1988 film \u201cA Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.\u201d The year before the film\u2019s release, Perry starred in the sitcom \u201cSecond Chances\u201d (later renamed \u201cBoys Will Be Boys\u201d), about a man who dies and returns to earth to mentor his younger self, played by Perry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The series failed to find its audience, but Perry continued to land more high profile roles in TV projects including \u201cGrowing Pains,\u201d \u201cWho\u2019s The Boss\u201d and \u201cBeverly Hills, 90210.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Friend\u2019-ly fame<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But it was being cast as affable and sarcastic Chandler on the sitcom \u201cFriends\u201d in 1994 that made him famous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quirky role earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2002. He also enjoyed four other nominations for the prestigious TV acting award, including two for his turn as Joe Quincy on \u201cThe West Wing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(\u201cFriends\u201d was a production of Warner Bros. Television, which is owned by CNN\u2019s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On \u201cFriends,\u201d Perry starred alongside Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow in the comedy about a tight knit group of friends living in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group became fixtures of NBC\u2019s unparalleled \u201cMust-See TV\u201d lineup, encountering a level of fame rarely seen in television or anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off screen, the actors became as close as their characters on the show, and famously negotiated together to become some of the highest paid actors on a television series at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show helped bolster Perry\u2019s career and he soon landed roles on the big screen in 1997\u2019s \u201cFools Rush In,\u201d \u201cAlmost Heroes\u201d in 1998 and \u201cThe Whole Nine Yards\u201d in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While \u201cFriends\u201d was his best known TV series, Perry also starred in \u201cStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip,\u201d \u201cMr. Sunshine,\u201dand \u201cThe Odd Couple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry\u2019s memoir<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In November 2022, he published a memoir titled \u201cFriends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In it, Perry revealed that his opioid abuse led to a colon rupture when he was 49. Doctors gave him a two percent chance of survival, he wrote, and he was in a coma for two weeks followed by months more in the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actor required 14 surgeries to help repair all of the abdominal damage, and he admitted to having gone to rehab 15 times over the years in hopes of kicking his drug addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m most surprised with is my resilience,\u201d he told People<\/a> last year, in reference to the book. \u201cThe way that I can bounce back from all of this torture and awfulness. Wanting to tell the story, even though it\u2019s a little scary to tell all your secrets in a book, I didn\u2019t leave anything out. Everything\u2019s in there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry was candid about his struggles with addiction, which he battled even at the height of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128 pounds, I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people\u2014and that\u2019s why I can\u2019t watch the show, \u2019cause I was brutally thin,\u201d Perry\u00a0said in a CBC interview last year<\/a>. \u201cI didn\u2019t watch the show, and haven\u2019t watched the show, because I could go, \u2018Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI could tell season by season, by how I looked. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t wanna watch it, because that\u2019s what I see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry began dating literary manager Molly Hurwitz in 2018 and the pair got engaged in 2020. They ended their engagement in 2021, with Perry saying<\/a> in a statement at the time, \u201cSometimes things just don\u2019t work out and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tributes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The verified Instagram<\/a> account for \u201cFriends\u201d posted a heartfelt tribute to Perry on Saturday night, writing, \u201cWe are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry\u2019s passing. He was a true gift to us all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler\u2019s on\/off again girlfriend Janice on the show, wrote on her Instagram<\/a>, \u201cWhat a loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world will miss you Mathew Perry,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selma Blair, who also appeared on \u201cFriends,\u201d called Perry her \u201coldest boy friend\u201d on her Instagram<\/a>. \u201cAll of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I\u2019m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Rapaport, who played Gary in four episodes of the show, wrote on X <\/a>(formerly Twitter) that Perry was \u201cAlways so nice, cool, chill & talented.\u201d He added, \u201cYou are a part of American Culture and will live on forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry\u2019s \u201cOdd Couple\u201d costar Yvette Nicole Brown wrote on X<\/a> that the show\u2019s \u201cfamily suffered a great loss today. The entire entertainment world has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also wrote that Perry \u201cwas a sweetheart who deserved more peace in this life. 54 is too young to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry is survived by his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor: msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matthew Perry, the beloved actor who starred as Chandler Bing on \u201cFriends,\u201d has died. He was 54. Police in Los<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[164,197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tribute","category-international-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/221206145249-04-pop-life-chronicles-newsletter-1206.webp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8491,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/lance-reddick-the-wire-and-john-wick-actor-dies-aged-60\/","url_meta":{"origin":10327,"position":0},"title":"Lance Reddick: The Wire and John Wick actor dies aged 60","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"His co-star in The Wire, Wendell Pierce, said Reddick's death was \"sudden, unexpected, sharp, painful grief for our artistic family\" and praised him as a \"man of great strength and grace\". 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