The actor Matthew Perry, known for his role in “Friends,” was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday. He was 54 years old.
A response was made by authorities around 4 p.m. to his residence, where he was found unresponsive. The sources, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, did not provide a cause of death. No drugs were found at the scene, and there is no suspicion of foul play, according to law enforcement sources.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery-homicide detectives are conducting an investigation into the death. The cause of death will be determined later by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
“We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry,” Warner Bros. Television Group, which produced “Friends,” stated in a statement to The Times. “Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family. The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”
“We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry,” NBC, which aired the series for all 10 seasons, said in its own statement to The Times. “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.”
The entrance to Bluesail Drive, a scenic street off the Pacific Coast Highway, was cordoned off by yellow-and-black LAPD crime scene tape on Saturday evening.
According to the LA Times, shortly after 7 p.m., Perry’s mother, Suzanne, and her husband, broadcaster Keith Morrison, arrived at the scene. Morrison declined to comment, and an LAPD officer on-site stated he had no information regarding the incident.
Neighbors in the vicinity expressed shock and sadness. One neighbor noted that Perry had been renovating his house for a long time and appeared fine.
Perry, the son of actor John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Marie Langford, onetime press secretary of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was born in 1969 and grew up between Montreal and Los Angeles after his parents separated when he was one.
He began his career as a child actor, appearing in shows like “Charles in Charge” and “Beverly Hills 90210” and opposite River Phoenix in the film “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon” in the 1980s and early 1990s.
His breakthrough came when he was cast in “Friends,” a sitcom about six single New Yorkers navigating adulthood that premiered on NBC in 1994.
The series quickly became a major success, turning Perry and his castmates into mega-stars almost overnight. At its height, the series could attract over 50 million live viewers; by its conclusion, cast members were earning more than $1 million per episode.
Perry portrayed Chandler Bing, the wisecracking roommate of Joey Tribbiani and the love interest of Monica Geller, in a brilliant ensemble cast.
He went on to work with major stars and appear in significant films like the 1997 romantic comedy “Fools Rush In” and the 2000 ensemble mob comedy “The Whole Nine Yards.”
Despite his achievements as an actor and memoirist, Perry hoped to be remembered as someone who lived life fully, loved deeply, and assisted others. He considered his work to be a means to that end.
