Mathew Perry who starred as the much loved character Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom, was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home over the weekend. He was 54 years old.
Perry rose to fame, starring alongside Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt Le Blanc, Lisa Kudrow, and his on screen wife, Courteney Cox in Friends. The actor earned an Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal as the sarcastic, Chandler Bing.
Following the tragic news of his death, a joint statement was released, and signed by Aniston, Schwimmer, Le Blanc, Kudrow, and Cox.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew”, the cast said in this joint statement. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family”.
They added, “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss”.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world”.
Others paying tribute to Perry, include actors, Elliot Gould, Brooke Shields, and Hank Azaria, with the latter hailing Perry as a "brother" to him.
“We were there for each other in the early days of our career and he was, to me, as funny as he was on Friends… in person he was just the funniest man ever”, Azaria said.
“And every night, he was like a genius, he would start to weave comedy threads together, just hanging out – little joke here, joke there, joke here, joke there – and then by the end of the night he would weave them all together in this crescendo of hilarity”.
Maggie Wheeler who played Janice Hosenstein, Chandler Bing's on and off girlfriend in Friends, also paid a beautiful tribute to Mathew Perry following his death.
Marta Krauffman and David Crane who co-created Friends, also released a separate statement, where they paid homage to Perry.
“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”, they said. “He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart”.
“This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken”.
Officials have said that they are awaiting toxicology results, regarding Perry's death, after a post mortem was ruled inconclusive.
