Matthew Perry has died

[catnipevergreen]

I'm absolutely devasted if this is true

I think there's a lot of truth in this.

There have been a few in recent years I felt the same way about - Muhammed Ali, Pele, David Bowie and most recently Bobby Charlton. I miss Eric Morecambe's humour, the wit of Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington in Yes Minister, I want to read a new Kingsley Amis book, I want to see a new John Wayne movie, hear a new Prince song

Things that were part of your life

I feel very sad about his death.

I'm exactly the same age as Matthew Perry. It seems a blink of an eye since a flatmate said to me "this programme is really funny" and I saw my first episode of Friends.

Such hope and enthusiasm at that age, and you don't know the journey your life will take, and how quickly it will go.

Desperately sad.

I'm 47, Friends (along with ER!) was our shared viewing in my university years. Many of us lived in rented accommodation without TVs, so each Tuesday night you'd see a mass exodus from the library to the student bar to watch. I can still remember the build up to the Rachel-Ross kiss & the night it finally happened - the whole bar, men & women, watching rapt. It's not that long ago but feels a lifetime ago compared with today's media, technology & sensibilities.

Matthew Perry's death feels shocking, as it feels, illogically, like someone close to my youth dying.

However I was really sad at how his life worked out post-Friends. His addictions & the effects of them, physically and mentally, were awful to see. Such a gap between the Chandler persona & his innate wit & comedic abilities, and the man we saw over the last few decades.

RIP, Matthew

And I'm never as illogical as this, but I keep feeling 'Chandler' has died ... I think due to the pervasiveness of Friends, that it has endured through generations, with my DC watching it as avidly as I did, and it being my go-to for comfort watching.

I've cried this morning. I'm 54 and have been in AA for 16 years. I so related to Matthew. There was something he said about addiction always being in the room with him, waiting to close the curtains and shut him into darkness.

17 year old friend of my daughters spent the night sobbing. This is the Friends effect.

My girls and I watched Friends together many, many times.

Rest in Peace, Matthew.

What an awful thing to say about Keanu, he seems a true gent. I hooe he did apologise to Keanu.

This is a very interesting post. I am 35 and grew up watching friends. I LOVED it. I had all of them on vhs, then dvd. My school pencil case was friends themed. I stick them on Netflix now when I’m cleaning and even though I can quote them pretty much word for word, it still makes me smile. I posted before about how the episode where Monica and Chandler get engaged ALWAYS makes me cry (the bits with Joey and the boat and Chandler being ‘a complex fellow, one who is unlikely to take a wife’ make me laugh out loud even thinking about it). So I am definitely part of the millennial culture where friends was a big deal. And I really loved it.

I read Matthew Perry’s autobiography and was shocked at how horribly he came across - really really awful low level disrespect for women, insecure and show-y off-y, telling everyone how wonderful he was on every page. I actually found it a bit fascinating how genuinely empty and narcissistic he came across. I remember thinking ‘omg you think you’re amazing - and perhaps you are an amazing actor because chandler was lovely - you seem a like nobhead’. The book actually lived rent free in my head for weeks because i didn’t expect to hate him so much.

i do feel sad this morning though. It is always sad when someone who has meant a lot to a lot of people through their work dies. It feels like an end of an era. It does seem like he struggled for a very long time to get better, and I hope he is at peace now. I’m going to put the one with the proposal on and have a little cry!

Can't believe it, such a young age. RIP Matthew

I've met so many people who love Friends and rewatch it many times when they need a bit of comfort and cheering up. A new generation of Friends fans came when Netflix started showing it and a lot of the Gen Zs fell in love with it. My daughter always liked to watch a few episodes after a tough day of doing A levels during lockdown.

Certainly mental health issues and addiction go hand in hand, and the sensitive nature and desire to make others happy that made MP a great comic actor can also have a destructive side.

It's sad and ironic that someone who was a big part of something that helped lighten dark days for so many others over the years, was not able to find that kind of comfort for himself.

He’s not a hero to me by any means. He’s just a very funny guy who also had some flaws.

Many addicts (all?) have horrible sides to them - part of the anger/self-pity and pain/emptiness they feel, I think. I haven’t read his book but I heard/read that quote referencing Keanu and thought it was a truly terrible thing to say.

However Matthew still brought a lot of joy to many people, and he was a loved human being who has died too young. I will wish him peace in death, because it eluded him so badly in life, and because I loved him in Friends.

I can't believe how upset I am about this. I know some people cringe at this, but I have literally been sobbing about this this morning. Can't believe it. So young. So sad. R.I.P. Matthew Perry (Chandler.) Such a brilliant role he played in 'FRIENDS.' Truly devastated about this. ❤

@topnoddy What is wrong with you? Disgusting thing to post on a thread for a man who has just died. Have some respect.

I think for a lot of us we are conflating 'Chandler' with 'Matthew Perry'.

I only read part of his book as, as PPs have said, it exposed his many flaws & a fairly dislikeable person. I didn't want to see that, truthfully.

I wouldn't be sobbing about his death - I didn't know him. I am sad for the tragedy of his life, despite such fame, and he was haunted by so many demons.

“I think for a lot of us we are conflating 'Chandler' with 'Matthew Perry'. “

definitely. The extract from his book posted above makes sense - you can’t make peace with a fictional alternative self, only with your real self ie helping other addicts.

I didn't read his book. But it doesn't surprise me he was insecure. Most people in their entertainment industry- especially those who do well very early- are.

I saw this on Facebook, on the Chandler Bing Sarcasm page.

Titled "The One Where We All Lost A Friend".

That was the one that made me well up.

@Antst you are relieved he's dead? I may not know much about California culture, but pretty sure MP wasn't that evil a human being. Given the competition these days.

It’s true. The last chapter was called Batman. So sad.

Very sad about this, there are so many beloved tv programmes but Friends was probably the biggest of all in my lifetime. It echoed the happiest times of my life - watching it with uni friends, then my boyfriend who became my dh. Thursday night felt like the new Friday night we looked forward to new episodes so much. Then the repeats on channel 4 which lasted for years, watching whilst feeding my babies, such happy memories. I think what resonates is that it show will never come back now (not that realistically it would) so the line is drawn under that tiny hope.
Chandler was a joy of a character, so original, funny and insecure and Matthew Perry gave us that. During the friends reunion he said in a lighthearted way that the others never call him. He was possibly very lonely in life, no partner or children. Demons or not it is very very sad to hear he has passed and I think his life was very difficult despite the privilege of wealth.

So many people talking about demons etc. Sounds like it was a heart attack which isn't super uncommon at that age. Also, that's prob the only way you're going to drown in a jacuzzi. Sure it's sad, but it wasn't preventable or a "waste".

Heart attack by drug abuse I would think, viocodin addiction is horrific.
He was the funniest “friend” but had a sad life, my elderly mum loves friends as I do she watches it on repeat and never gets tired of the jokes, she will be v sad to hear this news.

It's really common to drown in a bath or hot tub when you're high, the heat affects blood pressure and brings on dizziness ,look at Whitney Houston and her daughter. I watched a grim autopsy programme about it. Given his history and recent bizarre Instagram posts I think it's a fair assumption.

That quote was from Matthew Perry's book.

He apologised for that, admitted that it was an awful thing to have written. But he did write it, and it made a lot of people angry and feel less sympathy for him at the time the book came out.