Friends star Matthew Perry dead at 54
- Perry was found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, according to two reports
- The actor spent a decade playing Chandler Bing on the popular ‘90s sitcom Friends
Actor Matthew Perry, who gained fame in the 1990s as the wisecracking Chandler Bing in the top-rated US television comedy Friends and chronicled his decades-long battle with substance abuse in a memoir last year, died on Saturday at age 54.
His death was confirmed in a statement posted by NBC, the broadcast network that aired Friends for 10 years, on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry,” NBC Entertainment said. “He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations.”
The Los Angeles Times and TMZ.com, both citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that the American-Canadian performer was found dead in a hot tub or jacuzzi.
NBC News, citing an unnamed representative of Perry and a law enforcement source, reported the actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
Ironically, Perry’s last post on Instagram, on October 23, was a photo of him sitting by a pool or jacuzzi at night, with him writing: “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman”.