Tributes Come in For “Friends” Actor Matthew Perry, Dead at 54

Matthew Perry at "The Circle" film screening at Tribeca Film Festival in 2017
Matthew Perry at "The Circle" film screening at Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. Photo by Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock (8660370z)

Matthew Perry, who brought humor and charm into our lives as Chandler Bing in Friends, died at the age of 54. Many of his former collaborators and loyal fans sent condolences to his family and paid emotional tributes to the late actor on social media.

Perry was pronounced dead on October 28, after his assistant found him unresponsive in a hot tub at his house in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The actor died from an apparent drowning, but the official cause of death is yet to be determined by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Perry is best known for starring alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow on the hit 90s sitcom Friends. The show’s co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and executive producer Kevin Bright released a statement following his passing and described him as the funniest person in the room.

“From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well,” they said in a statement.

Perry’s talent extended beyond the confines of Central Perk, and it also included notable TV roles in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Odd Couple. He also scored two Emmy nods for the guest-starring spot on The West Wing, and appeared in movies The Whole Nine Yards, 17 Again, and The Ron Clark Story.