Matthew Perry, one of the stars of TV sitcom Friends, was found dead at his home on Saturday. He was 54.
Perry's death was confirmed in a social media statement shared by NBC, the network that aired Friends.
"We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry," NBC Entertainment said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "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."
Police sources told Los Angeles Times that Perry was found unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home by first responders. They were unable to revive him.
The Times and TMZ, which first reported the news, both said there were no signs of foul play, citing anonymous sources.
Perry was best known for portraying the wisecracking Chandler Bing on Friends, which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. He starred in the sitcom opposite Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay.
Perry had battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions.
During a recent televised Friends reunion, Perry surprised his co-stars by admitting to having suffered severe anxiety “every night” during filming.
TMZ reported that no drugs were found at the scene on Saturday.
As well as Friends, Perry appeared in movies such as Fools Rush In and The Whole Nine Yards.
Tributes to Matthew Perry
"We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans," reads a joint post on the official Friends and Warner Brothers Instagram accounts, accompanying an image of the actor taken in the early years of the show.
At the time of writing, none of Perry's Friends co-stars had shared tributes of their own. However, the cast has remained close in the years since the show wrapped in 2004.
In the 2021 reunion special, Perry spoke about their bond, saying: "The best way that I can describe it is after the show was over, at a party or any kind of social gathering, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it. That was the end of the night. You just sat with the person all night long and that was it."
Maggie Wheeler – who played Janice, Chandler's recurring love interest in Friends – shared a tribute on Instagram, writing: " 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."
Selma Blair, who made a guest appearance as Chandler's colleague Wendy in one episode of Friends, described Perry as her "oldest boyfriend".
"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," Blair wrote, sharing a recent image of herself with the actor.
Away from the Friends cast, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who went to primary school with Perry, shared a tribute to the actor on social media.
"Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening," he wrote. "I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them.
"Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed."
Perry was born in the US, but moved to Canada with his mother, journalist Suzanne Morrison, as a child; his father is American actor and singer John Bennett Perry.
Morrison served as press secretary to former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, father of Justin Trudeau, while he was in office. Perry was raised primarily in Ottawa, where he attended Rockcliffe Park Public School at the same time as the future politician.
Actress Mira Sorvino described Perry as a "sweet, troubled soul" on X and reflected on his ability to make "everyone laugh with [his] singular wit".
Actress Octavia Spencer shared an image of Perry on Instagram with the tribute: "I’m incredibly saddened to hear of Matthew Perry’s passing today. His gift to the world will be remembered for ever. Sending love to Matthew’s family, friends, co-stars and millions of fans around the world."
– Agencies have contributed to this report
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
EGYPT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ahmed El Shennawy, Mohamed El Shennawy, Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Mahmoud Abdel Rehem "Genesh"
Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Omar Gaber, Ali Gazal, Ayman Ahsraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Baher Elmohamady, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Abou-Elfotouh
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Abdallah El Said, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Amr Warda, Nabil Emad
Forwards: Ahmed Ali, Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen, Ahmed "Kouka" Hassan.
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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