Matthew Perry Dies: ‘Friends’ Actor Was 54

Armando Tinoco and Dominic Patten
·4 min read
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Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, has died. He was 54.

The actor was found unconscious late this afternoon at his L.A. home by first responders who were unable to revive him, law enforcement sources told Deadline.

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Perry’s death is considered an ongoing investigation, we hear.

Throughout his career, Perry struggled with addiction, which he detailed in his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” published last year.

“I really lived life to its fullest and that got me in trouble from time to time,” he said in a US Weekly interview several years ago.

Perry made his television debut in 1979 on an episode of 240-Robert. He would go on to book roles in shows like Not Necessarily the News (1983), Charles in Charge (1985), Silver Spoons (1986), Just the Ten of Us (1988) and Highway to Heaven (1988). Perry would be a series regular on Boys Will be Boys which premiered in 1987 and ran for one season.

In 1989 he had a recurring role on Growing Pains followed by a series regular role on Sydney. Perry would continue to guest star on shows like Who’s the Boss? (1990), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1991) and Dream On (1992). In 1993 he was a series regular on Home Free but his big break would come the following year when he was cast as Chandler Bing on Friends.

The role turned Perry and his co-stars on the NBC sitcom into household names as Friends became an overnight success and dominated TV ratings for its 10-season run. For his fan favorite role as Chandler, Perry earned his first Emmy nomination in 2002; his last came in 2021 for the Friends reunion the series’ cast and creators produced together.

“He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit,” NBC said in a statement following Perry’s death. “His legacy will live on through countless generations.”

Perry’s other television credits included Caroline in the City (1995), Ally McBeal (2002), The West Wing (2003) and Scrubs (2004). His appearances on Aaron Sorkin’s White House drama The West Wing landed him two Emmy nominations.

Following his time on Friends, Perry went on to star in Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In 2011 he was the star, creator, executive producer and writer of Mr. Sunshine which ran for 13 episodes. A recurring role on The Good Wife followed. Perry also starred and executive produced Go On in 2012.

In 2014, Perry guest-starred on Cougar Town, reuniting on-screen with his Friends co-star Courteney Cox. The following year, Perry reunited with another Friends star, Lisa Kudrow, for Web Therapy. Perry starred in The Odd Couple for three seasons before reprising his role of Mike Kresteva on The Good Fight in 2017. Perry portrayed Ted Kennedy in the limited series The Kennedys: After Camelot. His last television credit is from 2021 when he reunited with the Friends cast for the Max special.

Perry also starred in a number of films with early credits including A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, She’s Out of Control (1989), Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) and Getting In (1994). He would become Salma Hayek’s on-screen lover in the 1997 comedy Fools Rush In. In 1998 he starred in Almost Heroes with Chris Farley, Eugene Levy and Kevin Dunn.

In 1999, Perry starred in the romantic comedy Three to Tango with Neve Campbell and Dylan McDermott. Perry would go on to star in The Whole Nine Yards in 2000, followed by Serving Sara (2002), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), The Ron Clark Story (2006), which earned Perry another Emmy nomination, Numb (2007), Birds of America (2008) and 17 Again (2009).

Perry’s last Instagram post was on Oct. 22 when he shared a photo of himself in a jacuzzi at nighttime.

“Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman,” he captioned the post.

Reports of his death indicate drowning, possibly in his jacuzzi.

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