Marta Kauffman, creator of the iconic 90s TV series “Friends,” shared that she had a conversation with Matthew Perry just two weeks before he was discovered lifeless in his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, saying that the late actor had seemed “happy and chipper.”
“He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking,” Ms. Kauffman told “Today” in an interview, describing the conversation as “great.”
“He was sober,” she went on to say. “He learned things throughout this and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts, and it gave him purpose.”
Matthew Perry, who became a household name for his portrayal of the witty Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was found in a hot tub at his residence on Oct. 28, according to police. Despite an autopsy having been performed, toxicology results are still pending and will take a few weeks to be completed.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has labeled the actor’s cause of death as “deferred” until additional test results are provided for the ongoing investigation.
Perry’s death occurred about a year after the release of his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” detailing his lengthy battle with addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol. He had been sober since May 2021.
According to TMZ, no illegal substances were found at the scene, and there were no indications of foul play. Anti-depressant drugs and COPD medication were discovered in the house, TMZ reported.
Initial tests, as reported by TMZ, suggest that the actor did not have fentanyl or meth in his system when he died, but further tests are still being performed as part of the overall toxicology report.
The sudden news of Mr. Perry’s death left Ms. Kauffman in a state of “utter shock” and “utterly devastated.” She also mentioned that her first impulse was to text the late actor upon hearing the news.
David Crane, another co-creator of “Friends,” expressed that while they were aware of Perry’s struggles, his passing was still hard to believe because he was “such an alive person.”
In a joint statement to People Magazine, Ms. Kauffman, Mr. Crane, and executive producer Kevin Bright reacted to the news of his passing, acknowledging that Perry’s death “still seems impossible” to process.
Born in Massachusetts on Aug. 19, 1969, Matthew Perry went on to become a star in both the United States and Canada, earning widespread recognition for his portrayal of Chandler Bing in the beloved series “Friends” alongside fellow cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer.
Following the success of “Friends,” Perry went on to star in several network television projects and made guest appearances or recurring roles in other hit TV shows, as well as accruing a list of film credits.
The news of Matthew Perry’s demise has left the entertainment world in mourning as fans, friends, and colleagues remember him fondly for his iconic role in “Friends” and his contributions to the industry.
