Matthew Perry, who rose to global fame as one of the stars of the beloved sitcom Friends, has died. He was 54.
News of Perry's passing was first reported on Saturday (October 28) by the Los Angeles Times and TMZ, which reported he'd been found unresponsive at his California home by emergency services personnel.
A representative for the actor and a law enforcement source are both quoted as telling NBC News that Perry died of an apparent drowning.
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A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told BBC News that first responders had visited a private address in Pacific Palisades following reports of an unspecified "water emergency".
The statement did not name Perry, and no further confirmed details are available at time of writing. Investigations continue.
Perry has been remembered in tributes from the likes of Warner Bros and NBC, which produced and aired Friends respectively.
"We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry," read the Warner Bros statement. "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," read a statement from Friends' broadcaster NBC.
"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."
Born in August 1969, Perry chose a career in acting at the age of 15, having previously considered the idea of becoming a professional tennis player.
Early roles included the US sitcoms Second Chance (later known as Boys Will Be Boys), Growing Pains and Sydney. But when Perry joined Friends as the youngest member of the cast, he quickly achieved international recognition.
Perry's character Chandler Bing had a dry, sharp and occasionally brutal sense of observational humour, and numerous iconic one-liners. However, the breakdown of his parents' relationship in his childhood had a profound effect on Chandler, and his humour formed something of a defence mechanism.
In later seasons Chandler fell in love with and married Monica Geller, his college roommate Ross's sister, and after feeling unfulfilled at work, he quit his career in data analysis to work in advertising.
The series ended with Chandler and Monica adopting twins and moving from New York City to the suburbs. Perry had the last word in the series, "Where?"
In 2002, Perry was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his role as Chandler. He also starred in movies including The Whole Nine Yards and Fools Rush In.
Perry had leading TV roles in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Odd Couple, and made guest appearances in TV series including The West Wing, The Good Wife and its spin-off The Good Fight, and Ally McBeal.
He also portrayed the politician Ted Kennedy in miniseries The Kennedys: After Camelot.
In 2016, he wrote and starred in The End of Longing, a West End play about four people searching for meaning as they enter their forties.
Speaking to the Daily Mail about the show, which transferred to Broadway the following year, Perry said of the characters: "When we meet them in a bar in Los Angeles, they're pretty severely broken; and they set off on a path to be less broken. Their path is bumpy and, hopefully, funny."
He described his character Jack as "sort of an exaggerated form of myself. My voice, my mind... but it's not autobiographical at all."
Perry joined his Friends co-stars for a long-awaited, televised reunion in 2021, reflecting on the cultural impact of the series.
Last year, his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in which he reflected with candour on his acting career and personal life, including a battle against addiction, was published.
"So much has been written about me in the past, but I thought it was time people heard from me," he said at the time of its announcement.
Perry has also been remembered by some of his co-stars on social media. Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler's partner Janice in the early seasons of Friends, said: "What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry.
"The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared."
"My oldest boy friend. All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day," said Selma Blair, who also shared a recent photo with her friend.
"All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I'm broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams."
Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
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