On Oct. 28 “Friends” actor Matthew Perry was found unresponsive in his hot tub at the age of 54 in his California home.
“When I got the notification on my phone I was beyond shocked,” junior Charlotte Zender said. “He was so young, and he had so much to give to this world.”
Perry’s character Chandler on “Friends” had a very humorous and compassionate personality. He constantly cracked jokes in times of stress, and always was able to brighten the room. This was true of Perry’s personality too.
“We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well,” producer Marta Kauffman said. “He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
While he is most known for his acting career, he also devoted his life to helping others manage their addictions since he struggled with his for a large portion of his life.
“He was such an honest and thoughtful person throughout his life,” junior Lily Krumm said. “He did so much for others, and I hope that’s what people remember when they think about him.”
Perry turned his original Malibu home into a sobriety shelter for men called the “Perry House”, which ran until 2015. Prior to his passing he was planning to launch a substance abuse foundation as well.
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“The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on,” co-star Maggie Wheeler said on her Instagram post. “I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Perry also wrote a memoir called “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” It went into depth about his addiction struggle and even recalled a near-death experience he had when he was 49. His colon had burst from an overdose of opiods, and he spent two weeks in a coma and then five months in the hospital recovering.
“I remember my mom telling me about this book and what an impact it had on one of her friend’s lives,” sophomore Ava Johnson said. “I hope he is remembered mainly for the impact he had on people and not who he was on TV.”
Perry will be deeply missed by his fans, family and friends, yet his legacy will live on through everyone he encountered and impacted.
“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker,” Perry said in the 2022 interview with Times Magazine.
