Los Angeles (PNI) Matthew Perry, troubled star of the smash hit TV sitcom \u201cFriends,\u201d was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, US media reported. He was 54.<\/p>\n
First responders found Perry unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home and were unable to revive him, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times.
\nThe LA Times and TMZ, which first reported the news, both said there were no signs of foul play, citing anonymous sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe responded at 4:10pm \u2026 It is a death investigation for a male in his 50s,\u201d a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman told AFP, without confirming the deceased\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
A fire department spokesman confirmed it had responded to a \u201cwater emergency,\u201d which could refer to a \u201cpool, spa, bathtub or fountain,\u201d but could not confirm reports that Perry had drowned.<\/p>\n
Perry was best known for his portrayal of the wise-cracking Chandler Bing on the wildly popular \u201cFriends,\u201d which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.<\/p>\n
\u201cFriends\u201d followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adult life, dating and careers. It was a mainstay of NBC\u2019s much-vaunted 1990s and early 2000s television lineup, and drew a massive global following.<\/p>\n
During the height of his success, Perry battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n
Perry experienced health problems including a burst colon in 2018 due to his drug usage, which required multiple surgeries and the use of a colostomy bag for months after.<\/p>\n
In his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, published last year, Perry described going through detox dozens of times, and spending millions of dollars in repeated attempts to get sober.<\/p>\n
Perry dedicated the book to \u201call of the sufferers out there,\u201d and wrote in the prologue: \u201cI should be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wrote: \u201cPeople would be surprised to know that I have mostly been sober since 2001. Save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
TMZ reported that no drugs were found at the scene on Saturday. It said Perry was found by his assistant, who called 911.<\/p>\n
His mother was a Canadian journalist who served as press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His father was a US actor.<\/p>\n
As a young teenager, Perry was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada before moving permanently to California and pursuing acting.<\/p>\n
In the 1980s, Perry had guest roles in popular shows such as \u201cCharles in Charge\u201d and \u201cGrowing Pains.\u201d He was the final, and youngest, lead actor to be cast for \u201cFriends\u201d.<\/p>\n
Perry\u2019s character \u2014 the group\u2019s most sarcastic and quick-witted, but occasionally awkward and insecure, member \u2014 quickly became a fan favorite.<\/p>\n
Perry and his co-stars \u2014 Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer \u2014 negotiated $1 million each, per episode, by the end of their colossally popular and zeitgeist-setting 236-episode run.<\/p>\n
In a sign of the show\u2019s enduring appeal, the gang reportedly pocketed $2.5 million each for a reunion episode in 2021.<\/p>\n
During that episode, Perry\u2019s slurred speech prompted concern among fans. Perry also surprised his costars by admitting to having suffered severe anxiety \u201cevery night\u201d during the filming the sitcom.<\/p>\n
As well as \u201cFriends,\u201d Perry appeared in movies such as \u201cFools Rush In\u201d and \u201cThe Whole Nine Yards.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was nominated for five Emmys, including two for guest appearances on \u201cThe West Wing,\u201d but never won the prestigious television award.<\/p>\n
Perry never married.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Los Angeles (PNI) Matthew Perry, troubled star of the smash hit TV sitcom \u201cFriends,\u201d was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, US media reported. He was 54. First responders found Perry unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home […]<\/p>\n
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