Selma Blair, Maggie Wheeler, the actress who played Janice on Friends, and Rumer Willis are among the celebrities to pay tribute to Matthew Perry following the heartbreaking news of his death at the age of 54.
Maggie shared a picture of her with Matthew on the set of Friends, writing: "What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Janice was a recurring character on the NBC sitcom over the years, the on-and-off girlfriend of Chandler Bing, played by Matthew.
"My oldest boy friend. All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams," Cruel Intentions actress Selma shared on Instagram alongside a selfie taken of the two together.
"Oh no no no no no! Matty! Oh man. My heart breaks," wrote actress Meredith Salenger, who has known Matthew since they were teengagers, and shared a series of pictures of their friendship over the years.
"Matty... Matthew and I have known each other since were were 16 years old. Oh man. No words. Rest in peace sweet @MatthewPerry."
“I’m so sad to hear about Matthew Perry passing,” Rumer shared on Instagram Stories. She met Matthew when he starred alongside her father Bruce Willis in 2000'sThe Whole Nine Yards and its 2004 sequel The Whole Ten Yards.
“When I was a kid and I was on Set while he and my dad were doing whole nine and whole 10 yards he was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me and I think his physical Comedy and that movie still makes me laugh so much.”
“I know he had many challenges in his life and brought a lot of joy to people with his comedy,” she continued. “I hope he can rest peacefully.”
Abbott Elemetary star Lisa Ann Walter, who starred in The Odd Couple with Matthew, shared: "In The Whole Nine Yards - Matthew Perry runs full force into a patio door - that and the scene that followed is one of the top comedic moments I’ve witnessed. I told him so when I recurred on The Odd Couple. He smiled so big I thought he’d crack his face It was beautiful."
Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler's mother Nora Bing, said: "I'm heartbroken about the untimely death of my 'son' … The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock."
Paget Brewster, who played Chandler's girlfriend Kathy in season four of Friends, wrote on X: "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."
Meanwhile, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, who was friends with Matthew at school in Ottawa, Canada, shared a touching message on X which read: "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."
TMZ first published the reports of his passing, stating the actor was found on Saturday October 27 in his jacuzzi by his assistant, who had been sent out on errands after Matthew had returned home from a game of pickleball. The Los Angeles Times has also confirmed news of the actor's death according to sources and reported no drugs were found at the scene.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that officers responded to a call at the actor's address regarding the death of a male in his 50s, but did not confirm the identity of the deceased. Representatives for Matthew have not yet responded to queries from HELLO!
© David M. BenettMatthew found fame in the 1990s for his work as Chandler Bing in the comedy Friends which ran for 10 years between 1992 and 2002, and he also appeared in The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and The Odd Couple. His movie credits include Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, and 17 Again.
However off-screen the beloved actor battled with devastating addictions to alcohol and drugs, and last year, as he released his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he revealed he had almost died at the age of 49 when his colon burst from opioid overuse, leaving him spending weeks fighting for his lifr, five months in hospital and nine months with a colostomy bag.
© NBCMatthew admitted: "The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live. I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that."
"There were five people put on an ECMO machine that night and the other four died and I survived," he added. "So the big question is why? Why was I the one? There has to be some kind of reason."
Over the decades he has been to rehab no fewer than 15 times and although he continues to battle the demons, he told People in 2022: "I'm pretty healthy now," and then joked: "I've got to not go to the gym much more, because I don't want to only be able to play superheroes. But no, I'm a pretty healthy guy right now."
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