'Friends' Star Matthew Perry Dead at 54 After Apparent Drowning - Report
© AFP 2023 / GABRIEL BOUYS
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - American-Canadian actor Matthew Perry from the US TV sitcom "Friends" has reportedly died after an apparent drowning. He was 54.
Citing law enforcement sources, various US outlets reported late Saturday that the actor was found at a Los Angeles area home after first responders rushed over on a call for cardiac arrest.
Perry was reportedly found inside a hot tub at his home. No drugs were found at the scene and there was no foul play involved, sources relayed.
Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department are said to be examining Perry's death. A spokesperson with the department would not confirm the deceased's identity but detailed to one outlet that police were called to the home to address the death of a male in his 50s.
Police were said to have responded to the home at about 4:10 p.m. local time.
Incidentally, the actor posted a photo of himself inside a pool earlier this week. It's unclear if it's at the same location in which he was found on Saturday.
Perry previously disclosed his long history of drug and alcohol abuse in his 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing."
In total, the actor entered a rehabilitation center 15 times and underwent over a dozen surgeries to counteract health ailments brought on by his drug use.
"The first time I took my shirt off in my bathroom after returning from the hospital after my first surgery I burst into tears," he recalled in his book. "I was so disturbed by it. I thought my life was over. After about half an hour I got my s**t together enough to call my drug dealer."
Perry was best known for portraying the ever-sarcastic character Chandler Bing on the popular American sitcom "Friends," which ran for 10 seasons and saw Perry and fellow cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc earn an astounding $1 million per episode.
FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002 file photo, the stars of "Friends," from left, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc pose after the show won outstanding comedy series at the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Almost 15 years after it was canceled, "Friends" is still there for British viewers
© AP Photo / REED SAXON
In a 2016 interview with British media, Perry revealed he had no memory of any filming for the show between seasons three and six.
Following the end of "Friends" in 2004, Perry appeared in a few TV productions although none carried quite the same popularity.
Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, but went on to live in Ottawa, Canada, with his mother after his parents parted ways. He eventually made his way to Los Angeles, California, as teen, landing occasional guest spots before hitting it big in 1994 with "Friends."
