"Friends" Star Matthew Perry Dies at 54
The beloved actor was found unresponsive in an apparent drowning.
In an apparent tragedy, Matthew Perry has passed away today. The actor was 54. According to early reports, first responders arrived at Perry’s Los Angeles home around 4 p.m. where he was found unresponsive in a hot tub. A specific cause of death was not immediately shared beyond reports of an “apparent drowning.”
Perry became a household name alongside the rest of the cast of NBC’s Friends, which ran for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox. During the comedy’s ninth and tenth seasons, the actors received $1 million per episode, making them the highest paid comedy actors at the time. Perry was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2002 for his lead performance.
Following the conclusion of Friends, Perry went on to recurring guest roles on FOX’s Ally McBeal, NBC’s The West Wing and CBS’ The Good Wife. He also starred for one season in NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, one season in ABC’s Mr. Sunshine, one season in NBC’s Go On, three seasons in CBS’ The Odd Couple, and in the Reelz limited series The Kennedys: After Camelot.
Perry’s film credits included roles in 1997’s Fools Rush In, 2000,’s The Whole Nine Yards, 2006’s The Ron Clark Story, 2007’s Numb, and 2009’s 17 Again. He received additional Emmy Award nominations for The West Wing and The Ron Clark Story as an actor and for producing Friends: The Reunion on Max.
Behind the scenes, Perry struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. He was famously open about his struggles. He most recently detailed his issues in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. He shared that he started drinking when he was 14. By age 18, he was drinking every day.
In 2018, Perry suffered a near-death experience when he was hospitalized for five months after his colon burst. The condition was a result of his past abuse of OxyContin.