The headline read, "Friends actor Matthew Perry passes away," and I stood there, numb. Could this be true? Could the world exist without Perry, without Chandler Bing? Alas, it was true.
"If I'm gonna be an old, lonely man, I'm gonna need a thing. You know, a hook, like that guy on the subway who eats his own face. So, I figure I'll be 'Crazy Man with a Snake,' y'know? 'Crazy Snake Man.' And I'll get more snakes, call them my babies, kids will walk past my place, they will run. 'Run away from Crazy Snake Man,' they'll shout," Perry's Chandler once said. But alas, he never got the chance to be the Crazy Snake Man!
The official Friends' Instagram account confirmed the reports of Perry's passing.
While Perry's career spanned nearly two decades, he is best known for his portrayal of Chandler Bing in Friends, and rightfully so. Friends and Chandler Bing were integral parts of the lives of thousands across the world, including myself. No matter how low I felt, Chandler's sarcasm never failed to bring a smile to my face.
This sentiment holds true for thousands of others like me.
"A part of me died today as he left the earth," Prerna Patjoshi said, struggling to come to terms with the demise of her favourite star. "Chandler was not only a character of a famous, iconic show.. he was my everything. The characters of Friends were my everything. they were there when I was alone on a chilly night in a foreign country where I had few friends. I read the news of Perry's passing, it was as if someone pierced right through my heart."
Fans across the world took to social media to mourn the loss of their beloved Chandler Bing.
Rest in peace #MatthewPerry
Thank you for all the laughs, for Chandler, for all the ways you’ve made my childhood brighter. Sorry that while you were making us all smile, you weren’t doing so yourself. Wish you’d had a happier life & a long one too 💔 pic.twitter.com/YElQOsAMkK— ❀ ❥ Ankita ❥ ❀ (@_whatsinaname7) October 29, 2023
No one will know how much this person has helped so many people in their hard times, just by watching his 2-3 F.R.I.E.N.D.S episodes would make a bad day better. There will be never be a you again #MatthewPerry pic.twitter.com/pjwLz6yVtb
— Abel (@thawekknd) October 29, 2023
Celebrities also took to their social media handles to grieve the loss of the 'Friends' actor.
Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 29, 2023
RIP Matthew Perry, 54.The Friends star was a great actor, but by his own admission, a very tormented guy. His recent autobiography about his addiction-ravaged life was one of the most powerful, honest and revealing I’ve ever read. Such sad news. pic.twitter.com/RxAA1V1fr6
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 29, 2023
Perry's Friends co-star Maggie Wheeler took to Instagram to express condolences on his tragic death.
Oh no!!! Matthew Perry!! You sweet, troubled soul!! May you find peace and happiness in Heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit!!! 💔 💔 💔
— Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) October 29, 2023
Ironically, the actor who brought smiles to so many faces, whose wit and humour made fans laugh their hearts out, struggled with addiction. His battle began in 1997, three years after the iconic American show first aired. Perry became addicted to pain medication after a jetski accident. He later confessed to having no memory of three years of his time on Friends.
Perry once said, "I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128lbs, I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people – and that’s why I can’t watch the show, because I was brutally thin."
Matthew Perry was born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His mother, Suzanne Morrison, was a journalist and press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His biological father was actor and model, John Bennett Perry, while his stepfather was journalist Keith Morrison.
Perry grew up in Ottawa, Canada, and later relocated to Los Angeles during his teenage years, where he secured a few television guest roles. Perry gained recognition for his role as Chazz Russell in "Boys Will Be Boys" from 1987 to 1988. He then appeared in series like Growing Pains and Sydney. But it was the iconic NBC sitcom "Friends" that made him a household name.
In his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," Perry said, "I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn’t laugh... But I could sometimes say a line and the audience wouldn’t laugh and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions."
Perry once said how he would never respond if fans addressed him as Chandler. "I’m tired of it. I’m not Chandler." But for his fans across the world, he will always be Chandler Bing!
(Edited by : Ayushi Agarwal)
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