On October 28th, I, along with the rest of the world, was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Matthew Perry. Perry was best known for his role as funnyman, Chandler Bing, in the hit sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994-2004. His cause of death is still under investigation.
Although basic, Friends, is one of my favorite shows ever. It is such a big part of my life, and I am heartbroken over Perry’s passing. I have never been so sad over a celebrity death before. Chandler was the comic of the show. All of the characters told jokes, but none of them compared to his. Chandler was a wonderfully written character but was truly brought to life by Perry. The show’s writers even consulted him on the jokes that they wrote, and even let him improvise them while filming because they knew just how funny he could be.
Friends has gotten me through sad times, happy times, scary times–everything. The time that stands out to me is a recent one. I studied abroad over the summer in London. I had never been out of the country by myself before and panicked right after I got to my dorm. I was all alone and did not know what to do. So, I bought a UK Netflix subscription and put on the episode where they go to London for Ross’s wedding, aptly titled “The One with Ross’s Wedding.” Joey, Chandler, and Monica all head to London–Rachel decides not to go and Phoebe is pregnant with triplets and unable to travel–and they explore the city. It calmed me down almost instantly, and made me excited to go do exactly what they were doing.
Another memory, is every Thanksgiving I watch all of the Thanksgiving episodes with my younger brother. They did one every season and I personally think are the best ones. From the flashbacks to Chandler in the box to Brad Pitt making a guest appearance, all of the episodes are classics.
The loss of Matthew Perry is a huge and tragic one for Hollywood. His work as Chandler will forever be remembered, but prior to his death he expressed that although he knew it was inevitable, he does not want to only be remembered for Friends. Perry struggled for years with substance abuse and alcoholism, all during the height of his success. He shared recently that after filming one of the most important episodes of Chandler’s story arc (when he and Monica are married), he was immediately carted off to rehab when filming ended that day. He worked hard for years to become clean and sober, and said he spent close to $9 million trying to get there. In the recent years, he has maintained his sobriety and opened a rehab center in Malibu for any fellow struggling addicts. He wants people to remember him for sharing his struggles and being open about his addiction. He was proud to say that if someone came to him asking for help, he would know what to do to help them because of his own journey.
Rest in Peace Matthew Perry, thank you for all of the laughs.