‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry dead at 54 after apparent drowning. Video / NZ Herald
Matthew Perry has been described as “more than Chandler Bing” by sports personalities and athletes after the former junior tennis star and Friends actor died over the weekend.
Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay alongside Perry’s Chandler Bing, is reportedly “baffled” by his death. The actress has said “the gang” are struggling to believe he is gone, and spoke of adopting his dog and attending the funeral along with the rest of his castmates.
Perry was a known sports fanatic but he didn’t just watch sports. Born in Massachusetts and raised in Ontario, Canda, he became one of the top-ranked Canadian junior players.
“I needed to succeed at whatever I was doing so I could feel better about myself,’ Perry told The New York Times in 2002. “I had this incredible drive on the tennis court, and that translated into acting.”
Perry was also a diehard ice hockey fan, and resulted in organists for the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings to play the Friends theme song during their respective games over the weekend.
His favourite team was the Ottawa Senators, which paid tribute to Perry on social media: “Saddened to learn about the passing of Matthew Perry, one of Ottawa’s proudest sons and the biggest hockey fan.”
Retired wrestler Mick Foley from the WWE also paid tribute to Perry.
“I am really so sorry to hear of the death of actor Matthew Perry. I am such a big fan of #Friends (I’ve been wearing a Friends shirt the past two days) and Perry’s Chandler Bing character was the one I identified with most. My heart goes out to his family, friends and his many fans.”
Meanwhile, Friends fans have gathered outside the New York building used in the hit show. Tributes have been laid outside the Greenwich Village building that was used for external shots for the comedy, that was filmed mainly in Los Angeles. The Daily Mail reported that some left notes, and one grieving fan left a single cigarette in reference to the episode where Perry’s character Chandler Bing attempted to give up smoking.
The iconic show’s co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane shared a statement on social media earlier today, writing on X of Perry, “We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives.
“He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. 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. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart. We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”
Paget Brewster, who had a six-episode arc on the show, wrote online, “I’m so very sad to hear about @MatthewPerry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after.
“Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though.. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.”
