“The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken”: Reactions to the Death of Matthew Perry

The five other friends remain silent for the moment. But a host of Friends alumni paid tribute to Matthew Perry yesterday.

No messages from Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow or David Schwimmer. The elders Friends are still unable to speak after the sudden death of Matthew Perry, died at his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 54. We can imagine their distress, as the gang of six has now lost one of its members forever.

The fans are also in mourning. The rain that fell on Manhattan yesterday did not prevent hundreds of anonymous people from coming to say a last goodbye to Chandler Bing, in front of his home, at the foot of this building that we call the “Friends building”, since it is there , at 90 Bedford Street, in the West Village of New York, that the exterior shots of the two apartments were filmed (the series was actually filmed in the Warner Bros. studios in Los Angeles). A memorial was improvised on the street to leave a few bouquets of flowers and a few messages of love for the deceased actor.

The creators of FriendsMarta Kauffman and David Crane, along with their comrade Kevin Bright, released an official statement, to share their grief:

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved friend Matthew. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel lucky to have had him in our life. From the day we first heard him play the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence that he brought to every moment, not only in his work, but also in life. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the gentlest, with a generous and selfless heart. Today, this episode is truly the one where our hearts are broken.“

Janice was Chandler’s other great love, in Friendsbefore Monica. Maggie Wheeler shared many scenes with Matthew Perry and she cries on Instagram: “What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many during your too-short life will endure. I feel so blessed by every creative moment we’ve shared.”

Morgan Fairchild played his mother in Friendsthe sassy writer Nora Bing: “I am heartbroken by the untimely death of my ‘son’, Matthew Perry. The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I send my love and condolences to his friends and family, especially his father, John Bennett Perry, with whom I worked on Flamingo Road and Falcon Crest.“

Paget Brewster also had a romantic arc with Chandler. She was Kathy on Friends in season 4 and she writes: “I’m very sad. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I’ve seen him in the decades since. You have to read his book. It’s his legacy. He wanted to help. But he won’t rest. not at peace… He’s already too busy making everyone up there laugh.”

Selma Blair also played his charms on Matthew Perry In Friendsduring a Christmas episode of season 8. “My oldest boy friend. We all loved Matthew Perry, and me especially. Each day. I loved him unconditionally. I am broken. Broken Heart. Sweet dreams Matty.”

Another former regular Friendsthe comedian Hank Azariaaka David, played quite a few sequences with Matthew Perry throughout the seasons. He confides in a video: “He was the first friend I made in Los Angeles… We were really like brothers for a long time. We drank a lot together. We laughed a lot together. We were there for each other at early in our careers. Then he helped me get sober…The whole first year I was sober, we went to AA meetings together. He was so caring and generous and wise. I really wish he could find it in himself to live sober more consistently.”