Matthew Perry, beloved Friends TV comedy actor, passes away at the age of 54

At the age of 54, American actor Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the popular TV comedy Friends from the 1990s, passed away.

US media was informed by law enforcement sources that the actor was discovered deceased at his Los Angeles residence.

Friends was a television series that ran from 1994 to 2004 and featured the lives of six teenage friends who lived in New York City.

With 52.5 million viewers in the US, its climactic episode became the most watched TV show of the new millennium.

The actor was discovered unconscious in a hot tub at his home, according to the LA Times and TMZ, who broke the initial news of Perry's passing.

First responders were called to an address in the Pacific Palisades region about a "water emergency" of an unidentified kind, a Los Angeles Fire Department representative told the BBC. Perry was not mentioned in the statement.

"We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry," said Warner Bros. TV, the company behind the Friends television series.

"Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family," said the statement.

His legacy will endure in the hearts of countless people, and his humorous brilliance left an impression on people all across the world. We offer our condolences to his family, loved ones, and all of his ardent supporters on this terrible day."

A scene from Friends with Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, and Matthew Perry

Born in 1969 in Massachusetts, Perry grew up in Ottawa, Canada, where he went to primary school with Justin Trudeau, the future prime leader of Canada.

When Perry was a teenager, he went to Los Angeles. In addition to playing Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys, he had parts in other television series like Growing Pains.

However, he rose to fame throughout the globe on the television program Friends, which chronicled the dating, professional, and friendship struggles of six New Yorkers.

The comedy, which co-starred Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer, went on to become one of the all-time greatest hits.

Perry was chosen to play the clumsy Chandler Bing, well-known for his biting one-liners. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2002 for the performance.

In 1997, Perry (far left) posed with the other Friends stars.

Perry struggled for years with alcohol and opioid addiction, frequently visiting treatment centers.

He admitted to drinking and using drugs during the three years he spent filming Friends in a 2016 interview with BBC Radio 2.

He mentioned that he didn't watch the show in an interview from the previous year.

"I didn't watch the show, and haven't watched the show, because I could go, 'Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,'" he stated. "I could tell from my appearance, season by season. I don't want to watch it because of what I perceive from it.

"But I think I'm going to start to watch it because it's been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations."

In addition, Perry starred in a number of movies, such as the Whole Nine Yards, Almost Heroes, and Fools Rush In.

Maggie Wheeler, who portrayed Janice in the television series Friends, was the initial co-star of Perry to publicly honor the actor.

Mrs. Wheeler stated that Perry's "too short lifetime will live on" because of the joy he offered to "so many".

She posted on Instagram, saying, "I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared."

Selma Blair, who starred in Cruel Intentions, described Matthew Perry as her "oldest boy friend" and continued, saying, "We all loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially." Each and every day. My love for him was unwavering. And I him.

"I'm also broken. crushed to pieces. Matty, sweet dreams. Dreams sweet."