TW: mentions of death and drug addiction
On October 28, 2023, “Friends” star Matthew Perry was confirmed dead after a drowning incident in his Los Angeles home. This heartbreaking news devastated many, as he was a beloved actor for his numerous roles outside of the hit television sitcom.
However, after reports of his passing circulated online, it became clearer that Perry was not just Chandler Bing, the awkwardly funny and sweater-vest-wearing friend that most of us have watched growing up.
There is much more to the well-known actor, including his early childhood, his legendary career leading up to “Friends” and his struggles with addiction as well as the support he provided others going through similar situations.
Early Life
Matthew Perry was born on August 19, 1969 in a small town in Massachusetts to actor John Perry and journalist Suzanne Langford. The two split up when Perry was just an infant and his father went off to pursue his acting career.
Perry details this split and his father’s absence as what contributed to abandonment issues and other insecurities in his memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”
While his mother was constantly at work, serving as press secretary to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Perry spent a lot of time alone. During this period, he developed his knack for comedy. He felt that he had to become funny in order to care for and support his mother.
“Accordingly, I learned to be funny – pratfalls, quick one liners, you know the drill – because I had to be,” he said in his memoir.
During his teenage years, Perry’s addiction began to form. He admitted that by the time he was 18, these habits occurred daily. Throughout these challenges, he started playing tennis for numerous hours a day and had an “incredible drive” on the court. This passion he felt for the sport aided in the start of his acting career, where he was extremely dedicated to his work.
Breakthrough in “Friends” and Other Roles
At the age of 15, Perry moved to Los Angeles, where he took improv classes at L.A. Connection and studied acting at The Buckley School.
During the 1980s, he began auditioning for roles and made appearances in shows like “Not Necessarily the News,” “Charles in Charge,” and “Silver Spoons.” He would go on to become a regular in many other TV shows as well, but his breakthrough did not come until the start of the hit series “Friends.”
He was originally set to star in a sitcom called “LAX 2194,” making him unavailable to audition for “Friends,” which was previously titled “Six of One.” However, once that show flopped, he read a role for “Six of One” and, thus, Chandler Bing was born.
This show skyrocketed, leading to Perry and the rest of the cast making millions of dollars and lifelong memories. He took his “wit, charm, and friendly nature” into defining the iconic character of “Friends” who will remain unforgettable.
The cast members of the popular series became close friends in real life, even to the point of negotiating equal pay for the six stars to ensure their time working on the show was fair. The reunion special of “Friends” showed how they formed meaningful relationships with one another and how their friendship went beyond the scope of television.
For his role as Chandler Bing, Perry earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Additionally, it opened up an array of acting opportunities, including a starring role in the film “Fools Rush In” alongside Salma Hayek.
Struggles with Addiction
In his memoir, Perry talks heavily about his addiction and health. As previously mentioned, these habits began at a young age but progressed as he became older.
In 1997, Perry was in a jet ski accident. During the healing process, he became reliant on Vicodin, a combined medication that partially contains an opioid pain reliever. This dependency on the drug led to his first admittance to rehab at a facility in Minnesota, where he resided for 28 days. However, his sobriety remained inconsistent despite this rehab stay.
Various health complications stemmed from his addictions, including pancreatitis at 30-years-old and a colon burst in 2018. In his memoir, he details recollections of the recent incident, noting moments where he thought he was not going to survive. He remembers family and friends surrounding him after he came out of a two-week coma and dealing with intense medical repercussions, such as doctors telling his family that he had a 2% chance of survival.
Perry stated in many interviews that he has spent millions of dollars towards his addiction, including purchasing certain drugs and seeking rehabilitation.
“I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober,” he admitted to the New York Times.
After surviving the near-death experience in 2018, he realized sobriety is extremely valuable. He stated in his memoir, “If you don’t have sobriety, you’re going to lose everything that you put in front of it, so my sobriety is right up there.”
Advocacy Work & the Matthew Perry Foundation
In 2011, Perry and fellow actor Martin Sheen took part in a conference in support of funding for drug courts, which seek to “reduce drug addiction, crime, recidivism, and foster rehabilitation.” They lobbied Congress in hopes of achieving their goal of extended financial support for these courts.
A couple years later, he received an award from the White House in recognition of his rehab center that he opened called the Perry House, located in his former home in Malibu. It has since been sold due to financial issues, but there were plans for relocation to a smaller area to maintain the business.
More recently, Perry planned to start a foundation aiming to help those struggling with substance abuse named the Matthew Perry Foundation. He passed away before those plans could flourish, but those close to him strived to bring the foundation to life.
The National Philanthropic Trust will manage the foundation, carrying out Perry’s mission to help others and make a difference. The foundation is open for donations here.
Although Matthew Perry has passed away, his efforts to support those dealing with substance abuse still remain stronger than ever. He wanted to be remembered for what he has done for others, not just his role on “Friends.” His emotional journey with addiction is one that negatively impacted his life, but is one that has been utilized to invoke greater change and to inspire others in beating addiction as well.