The One Where We Feel Devastated
For millions of young people who view Friends as the ultimate in comfort television, the death of Matthew Perry has been a terrible shock. Emma Hills mourns his loss
As a diehard fan of Friends, I have been absolutely devastated by the sudden loss of Matthew Perry. For many Friends fans, the show is a safety blanket and Matthew Perry’s character, the comical and loveable Chandler Bing, was such a comforting and familiar character that it feels like we have lost a real friend. Fans of the show have used the style of the episode names by paying tribute to Matthew Perry on social media and leaving notes outside the exterior of the apartments shown in the series with the quote, “The One Where We All Lost a Friend.”
Matthew Perry had recently turned 54, having celebrated his birthday on the 19th of August. On 28 October, Perry was reportedly found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. His post-mortem examination was inconclusive, and officials are now awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
Of course, Matthew Perry was most well-known for his role as the witty character of Chandler Bing in the popular American sitcom Friends. As people reflect back on his life, Friends is most likely the first thing that comes to mind however Perry said in an interview last year, “The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking; can you help me?’ I can say yes and follow up and do it,” he explained. “It’s the best thing. And I’ve said this for a long time: When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”
The actor struggled with an addiction to alcohol and pain killers in the past and has said on previous occasions that he has no memory of some of the filming of Friends due to his addiction to opioids at the time following an accident. He sought help and support and faced his addiction. He became clean and wrote about his addiction and his time on Friends in his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing” which was published in 2022.
In 2002, Matthew Perry received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series but unfortunately lost. In 2011, Perry supported funding for drug courts as a celebrity spokesperson. Drug courts aim to help people recover from substance-abuse disorders such as Perry himself.
Perry opened his home to men facing addiction and it became known as the “Perry House.” He offered support to those who found themselves in similar situations to himself and he expressed how important it was for people to see someone like himself, somebody in a position of fame, struggled with addiction. Knowing that somebody who appeared to have an incredible life on the surface had also faced a similar thing, would give people hope as they would know that they are not facing anything alone.
Due to him opening the “Perry House” (a sober-living home) in Malibu, he received a Champion of Recovery Award in 2013 from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Overall, despite the turbulence that Perry faced in his life, he did some incredible things and helped many people facing addiction. Overall, Perry’s work to help others was absolutely remarkable and something that people should honour and remember him for.
As well as Friends, Perry also acted in Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, Numb, 17 Again, and so much more. In 2021, Matthew Perry appeared in Friends: The Reunion with his fellow cast mates Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, who released a joint statement following his death. They have said that they are “utterly devastated” by the “unfathomable loss” of their fellow cast mate and that they aren’t just cast mates but are a “family.”
I know that many fans of Matthew Perry, the people that he has helped, friends, family and anyone who knew him will be truly feeling the loss of such a legendary actor and incredible man however, it is important that we remember all aspects of his life and everything that he did.
Be sure to check in with people in your life, make the most of what you have and try to treat every day like it could be the last. You never know what is going to happen.
Sending all my love to Perry’s family and friends and anyone who is feeling the impact of this loss.
Rest in peace Matthew Perry.
Emma Hills, Year 12
As a diehard fan of Friends, I have been absolutely devastated by the sudden loss of Matthew Perry. For many Friends fans, the show is a safety blanket and Matthew Perry’s character, the comical and loveable Chandler Bing, was such a comforting and familiar character that it feels like we have lost a real friend. Fans of the show have used the style of the episode names by paying tribute to Matthew Perry on social media and leaving notes outside the exterior of the apartments shown in the series with the quote, “The One Where We All Lost a Friend.”
Matthew Perry had recently turned 54, having celebrated his birthday on the 19th of August. On 28 October, Perry was reportedly found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. His post-mortem examination was inconclusive, and officials are now awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
Of course, Matthew Perry was most well-known for his role as the witty character of Chandler Bing in the popular American sitcom Friends. As people reflect back on his life, Friends is most likely the first thing that comes to mind however Perry said in an interview last year, “The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking; can you help me?’ I can say yes and follow up and do it,” he explained. “It’s the best thing. And I’ve said this for a long time: When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”
The actor struggled with an addiction to alcohol and pain killers in the past and has said on previous occasions that he has no memory of some of the filming of Friends due to his addiction to opioids at the time following an accident. He sought help and support and faced his addiction. He became clean and wrote about his addiction and his time on Friends in his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing” which was published in 2022.
In 2002, Matthew Perry received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series but unfortunately lost. In 2011, Perry supported funding for drug courts as a celebrity spokesperson. Drug courts aim to help people recover from substance-abuse disorders such as Perry himself.
Perry opened his home to men facing addiction and it became known as the “Perry House.” He offered support to those who found themselves in similar situations to himself and he expressed how important it was for people to see someone like himself, somebody in a position of fame, struggled with addiction. Knowing that somebody who appeared to have an incredible life on the surface had also faced a similar thing, would give people hope as they would know that they are not facing anything alone.
Due to him opening the “Perry House” (a sober-living home) in Malibu, he received a Champion of Recovery Award in 2013 from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Overall, despite the turbulence that Perry faced in his life, he did some incredible things and helped many people facing addiction. Overall, Perry’s work to help others was absolutely remarkable and something that people should honour and remember him for.
As well as Friends, Perry also acted in Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, Numb, 17 Again, and so much more. In 2021, Matthew Perry appeared in Friends: The Reunion with his fellow cast mates Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, who released a joint statement following his death. They have said that they are “utterly devastated” by the “unfathomable loss” of their fellow cast mate and that they aren’t just cast mates but are a “family.”
I know that many fans of Matthew Perry, the people that he has helped, friends, family and anyone who knew him will be truly feeling the loss of such a legendary actor and incredible man however, it is important that we remember all aspects of his life and everything that he did.
Be sure to check in with people in your life, make the most of what you have and try to treat every day like it could be the last. You never know what is going to happen.
Sending all my love to Perry’s family and friends and anyone who is feeling the impact of this loss.
Rest in peace Matthew Perry.
Emma Hills, Year 12