Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane pay a moving tribute to Matthew Perry: ‘The One Where Our Hearts are Broken’:
The makers of Friends have paid a moving tribute to Matthew Perry following his unexpected death at the age of 54.
Co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and director Kevin Bright issued a joint statement on Saturday following the sitcom star’s suspected drowning.
They remembered Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the hugely popular series, for his “blinding intelligence” and always being “the funniest person in the room.”
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved friend Matthew,” they said in a statement Deadline. “It still seems impossible.”
“All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him in our lives.
Co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and director Kevin Bright issued a joint statement on Saturday following the sitcom star’s suspected drowning. (Image: Kauffman, Crane and Bright with the cast of Friends in 2000)
The makers of Friends have paid a moving tribute to Matthew Perry following his unexpected death at the age of 54
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved friend Matthew,” the Friends creators said in a statement. “It still seems impossible.” (Pictured: Mourners lay floral tributes to Perry outside the New York apartment building used as an exterior shot in Friends
‘He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role his own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no better words.
“From the day we first heard him play the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.
“We will always cherish the joy, light and dazzling intelligence he brought in every moment – not only to his work, but to life.
“He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.
Playing on the famous episode titles in Friends, they added: “We send all our love to his family and friends. This is truly the one where our hearts are broken.”
Friends, which followed the lives of six friends in their twenties living in New York, was a huge success around the world when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and reruns are still hugely popular years later.
Kauffman, Crane and Bright reunited with Perry and his co-stars for the 2021 reunion special, for which they all shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-taped).
Tributes poured in for Friends star Matthew Perry after he was found dead yesterday
Perry died at the age of 54 (pictured earlier this week, the last time he was seen in public) at his home in LA
Aerial photos show Perry’s pool and hot tub where he was reportedly found dead
Perry won a worldwide fan base for his role, making him a Emmy nomination in 2002 – but behind the glitz and glamor he secretly battled substance abuse for decades.
The historically troubled star was found dead in his hot tub on Saturday afternoon after allegedly drowning LA County Coroner Office currently lists the case status of the actor’s death as ‘open’. An autopsy is planned.
Late Saturday night, Perry’s body was placed in a coroner’s van from the front door of his LA home.
Staff from the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office loaded Perry’s body into the van before closing the doors and driving away.
Perry is believed to have drowned hours after a game of pickleball, and in an edited recording of the dispatch audio, a man can be heard saying “rescue 23” and “drowning.”
A law enforcement mole told TMZ that investigators discovered antidepressants and prescription anti-anxiety drugs in Perry’s luxury home, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, but no illegal drugs were found inside.
The actor, known for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, was also in possession of a prescription COPD medication.
COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with the medications found in Perry’s home usually being used for people with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
Perry rose to fame for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit ’90s sitcom Friends, which ran for ten seasons
Perry was a smoker and also struggled with addiction alcohol as well as opiates, but claimed to have been clean shortly before his suspected drowning.
The new revelations came after it was reported that EMTs were called to the Friends star’s home for a “water emergency” and arrived to discover the actor had drowned, it is claimed.
Police sources told NBC News and CNN that they initially thought they were attending a possible “water rescue” at the prankster’s home in the Pacific Palisades after receiving a call at 4:07 PM PST on Saturday.
They arrived to find the 54-year-old dead from an apparent drowning in his hot tub, with the LA times reporting that Perry was “unresponsive.”
Officers from the LA Police Department The Robbery-Homicide Unit was also dispatched to the Pacific Palisades home, but a source said no drugs or signs of foul play were found at the scene.