Just a year ago, Matthew Perry sat down with journalist Diane Sawyer to confess, following the publication of his memoirs, that he was optimistic about the future. He had managed to go 18 months without touching a drop of alcohol and staying away from the opiates that marked a large part of his existence. Today, his lifeless body is in the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office awaiting an autopsy to determine the causes of his death at age 54. Perry, marked for better or worse by the role of Chandler Bing in Friends, appeared unconscious in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home.
Local police have confirmed that they do not believe it was a crime or that there were drugs in his home in Pacific Palisades, the luxury neighborhood near Malibu where the actor lived. The spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department noted that they received a call to 911 – emergency service – at 4:07 in the afternoon on Saturday and that they arrived three minutes later to find the actor’s lifeless body next to the pool.
In aerial shots published by several American media, the pool and jacuzzi are clearly seen, as well as a white tent installed next to the place where the Massachusetts interpreter was found. A few hours later, his parents, Suzanne Morrison, a Canadian journalist who served as press secretary for Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, came to the house; and John Bennett Perry, film and television actor. Also his stepfather, Keith Morrison, a well-known Canadian journalist.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought so much joy to the world, as an actor and as a friend. You all meant a lot to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love,” the family said in a statement.
Those who have not yet spoken are his five co-stars who starred in Friends for a decade. For now, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc have chosen to remain silent.
Yes, the creators of the iconic series, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as executive producer Kevin Bright, have done so, “shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend Matthew. It still seems impossible,” according to the statement sent to CNN. “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 truer words. From the day we first heard him take on the role of Chandler Bing, there was no no one else for us.”
Complete autopsy and toxicology reports usually take several weeks, so we will have to wait to find out if Perry had returned to his old ways with alcohol and painkillers, his great ordeal.