Matthew Perry dead: Friends star who played Chandler Bing dies ‘from accidental drowning’ aged 54

Matthew Perry, known for his portrayal as the wise-cracking, saracastic Chandler Bing in the hit Nineties sitcom Friends, has died aged 54.

US media reports that the actor was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday 28 October.

Police were called to the home at around 4pm and found Perry unresponsive, sources to the LA Times and TMZ said. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to The Independent that officers were called to Perry’s home, but declined to comment further.

There were no initial signs of foul play, sources said. An investigation is ongoing.

His death was later confirmed by broadcaster NBC, who said in a statement: “We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry.

“He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations.”

Perry rose to fame for his longtime role as Chandler Bing in Friends, one of the most successful TV series of all time. It ran for 10 seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2004, and turned its young cast – Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox – into global stars.

Following a close-knit group of six friends living in shared apartments in New York City, Friends included a number of major storylines about Chandler, such as his clandestine romance with Monica Geller (Cox), sister of his best friend Ross (Schwimmer), which eventually leads to them getting married.

Perry was born in 1969 to father John Bennett Perry, an actor, and mother Suzanne Marie Langford in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He spent his childhood between Montreal, Canada, and Los Angeles, and was a classmate of future Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

He began acting at a young age before shooting to stardom on the Nineties sitcom smash-hit Friends, where he portrayed the boundlessly hilarious and quick-witted Chandler Bing in 234 episodes. He was nominated for an Emmy in the role in 2002.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

Sign up

Perry’s other small screen credits include Boys Will Be Boys, Growing Pains, Beverly Hills 90210, The West Wing, Scrubs and The Odd Couple.

He also held roles on the silver screen, including Fools Rush In, The Kid, and 17 Again.

He has been on a hiatus from acting since 2017.

Warner Bros TV, the studio that produced Friends, paid tribute to Perry.

“We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing,” the studio said in a statement. “He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans.”

Perry published an autobiography in October of last year – Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing – in which he chronicled his struggles with addiction.

He expressed regret that Friends fans could predict when he was drinking alcohol or taking drugs “from season to season” based on his appearance.

He also described undergoing treatment during the later seasons of the show.

While not the most prolific social media user, Perry took to Instagram earlier this month to share a sweet photo with his father.

In the snap posted on 15 October, he could be seen posing with his arm around his father, both wearing broad smiles.

“Here is me, and my father John, both holding a beverage,” he wrote in the caption.

In its report on his death, the LA Times cited a heartwrenching quote from Perry during a discussion about his memoir in April at the Festival of Books.

“Nobody wanted to be famous more than me,” he said. “I was convinced it was the answer. I was 25, it was the second year of ‘Friends,’ and eight months into it, I realized the American dream is not making me happy, not filling the holes in my life. I couldn’t get enough attention. … Fame does not do what you think it’s going to do. It was all a trick.”