Experts reveal why people grieve celebrities as millions of Friends fans mourn the death of Matthew Perry who drowned in a jacuzzi at his LA home

Within moments of the news of Matthew Perry’s death breaking on Saturday, social media was filled with tributes to the Friends star.

Millions of these individuals have shared their grief at the loss of someone they’ve never met, but experts have revealed how people can grieve a stranger.

Psychologists have found that mourning the death of a celebrity is likely because people tend to immortalize them through nostalgic life experiences — and the death of an actor or musician feels like a lost memory.

For those who mourned Perry’s death, it may have stemmed from their love of the TV show “Friends” — where many individuals relied on his character, Chandler Bing, to comfort them during difficult times.

Tsaid therapist Anissa Hanson, Ph.D Psychology TodayOur relationships with celebrities are different from our everyday relationships.

“Our emotional connection with an influential person depends on what we need that person to be like for us during the influential moments in our lives.

It is the idea of ​​that person that we relate to, not necessarily the person himself, because we have not met him in real life.

“Because we relate to celebrities from a distance, we tend to immortalize them through nostalgic life experiences.”

The actor, who rose to fame as the sarcastic Chandler Bing on the popular 1990s sitcom, was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Saturday after emergency crews were called at around 4pm local time.

Friends, which followed the lives of six twenty-something friends living in New York, was a smash hit worldwide when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and reruns of the show remain hugely popular years later.

Perry won a global fan base for his role as Chandler, earning him an Emmy nomination in 2002 — but behind the glitz and glamour, he secretly battled drug abuse for decades.

News of his death flooded social media, with many users sharing heartfelt messages about their love for Perry and his famous character, Chandler.

Fans also left a sea of ​​flowers outside friends’ apartment in New York City.

Although never filmed on location, the Bedford Street building served as the exterior shot in Friends and quickly became an iconic tourist attraction.

Many stood in the pouring rain on Sunday to lay flowers and leave notes at the makeshift memorial for the beloved actor.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, fans left bouquets of sunflowers and other tributes outside the gates of Perry’s home, where he was found dead over the weekend.

Mourning a celebrity has also been linked to the idea that they are an integral part of people’s youth.

Many people grew up watching Friends on NBC while six twenty-somethings navigated the hustle and bustle of New York City.

“Not only are celebrities integrated into our developmental milestones, but they often fill the roles of mentor or support person that we lack,” Hanson said.

“We turn to them for support and they become part of our lives. When they die, a small part of us dies too.”

Hearing about death may make people think about our mortality rate, according to The Verge. Choice of treatment.

“In our culture, there’s this idea that fame provides at least symbolic immortality,” said psychiatrist Adam Koenig.

“When a celebrity dies, it brings home the fact that no one can escape death.”

Koenig also explained that celebrities can offer people an identity, allowing them to meet other people who enjoy the same actor or musician.

He added: “Our identity can then become tied to our favorite celebrities, so when they die, it leads to us mourning them and our identity as fans because we have to readjust the way we view ourselves after they die.”

“We may feel as if a part of us died when they did, perhaps even creating an identity crisis.”