‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry dead at 54 in apparent drowning

Beloved Friends star Matthew Perry has died, TMZ reports.

Law enforcement sources have revealed that the actor was found on Saturday at a LA home where it allegedly appeared he had drowned.

Sources say that first responders had received a call to the property for a person suffering cardiac arrest.

Perry was reportedly found in a spa pool at the residence, with sources adding that there were no drugs found at the scene. It has also been revealed that no foul play was involved.

Perry rose to fame for his role as Chandler Bing on the ‘90s sitcom Friends, where he featured in 234 episodes across 10 seasons. His character was much-loved as was his performance in the hit series.

While he became a household name after his time on Friends, he went on to star in many other television shows over the years, such as Boys Will Be Boys, Growing Pains, Silver Spoons, Charles in Charge, Sydney, Beverly Hills, 90210, Home Free, Ally McBeal, The West Wing, Scrubs, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Odd Couple and more.

'Friends' cast Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry. Photo / Getty Images

He had also appeared in a few memorable films - most of which were comedies - such as Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, Three to Tango, The Kid, 17 Again, Getting In, and many others. He’s been mostly absent from the screen of late, not acting in a TV mini series since 2017.

While his onscreen persona was funny and upbeat, Perry suffered behind the scenes, most notably from his addiction to drugs, specifically painkillers, and alcohol. He was addicted to Vicodin for years, even while he was filming Friends, and had been in and out of rehab during peak stardom.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.