Matthew Perry, “Friends”' Chandler Bing, dies at 54
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Matthew Perry has died at 54.
The five-time Emmy nominee best known for his 10 seasons playing Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom Friends was reportedly found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles–area home on Saturday, reports The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and TMZ, citing law enforcement sources.
Capt. Scot Williams of the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide division confirmed Perry's death to The New York Times. He said the actor's cause of death was not likely to be determined for some time but that there were no signs of foul play. TMZ reports that first responders were called to Perry's residence for cardiac arrest and that no drugs were found at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to PEOPLE that Perry's autopsy has been completed, though results are pending a toxicology report.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother," the Perry family said in a statement to PEOPLE. "Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend."
They added, "You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."
The official Friends and Warner Bros. accounts posted news of Perry's death on Instagram, writing: "We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry's passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans."
A representative for Perry did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Matthew Perry
Born in Williamstown, Mass. and raised in Ottawa, Canada, where he attended elementary school with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Perry moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and began his Hollywood acting career with TV guest spots, with notable roles on Boys Will Be Boys, Growing Pains, and Sydney. But he skyrocketed to stardom alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer when Friends premiered in 1994.
After 10 seasons and an Emmy nomination for playing sarcastic Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom (followed by two for guest starring as Joe Quincy on The West Wing), Perry continued his TV career starring on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Go On, and The Odd Couple. His most notable film work includes Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, and 17 Again. He scored a fourth Emmy nomination for starring as Ron Clark in TNT's The Ron Clark Story in 2007 and another for serving as executive producer of Friends: The Reunion in 2021.
Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty The cast of 'Friends'
Perry's most recent media appearances were in promotion of his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in which the actor opened up about his addiction troubles, which were triggered by drugs he took to recover from a 1997 jet ski accident on the set of Fools Rush In. At his lowest point, the actor was taking up to 55 Vicodin pills per day, combined with his issues with drinking.
In the book and during the press tour, Perry credited his costars for a turning point in his sobriety when they they gathered in his dressing room to tell him they could smell alcohol on him. "I thought I was hiding it so well," he said in an interview with Diane Sawyer, noting Aniston "reached out the most" to check in on him. "But I wasn't in a position to stop."
While speaking to PEOPLE in promotion of the book, Perry told the outlet that his colon burst in 2018 due to an overuse of drugs. "The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live," he told the outlet. "I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that."
Eventually, the actor was able to get sober. "Something clicked," he said in a 2013 PEOPLE cover story, "You have to want the help." The actor turned his former Malibu beach home into a men's sober living facility called Perry House to help others battle their addictions.
Perry's father, John Bennett Perry, is a former actor and model, who appeared in Old Spice commercials in the '70s and '80s. His mother, Suzanne Morrison, is a former journalist and press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin's father. She is married to Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison.
In an interview published a year before his death, Perry discussed what he hoped his legacy would be. "I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker," Perry told host Tom Power speaking on the Q With Tom Power podcast in 2022 while promoting his memoir. "And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That's what I want."
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