Friends trailer
Matthew Perry made a career as the always smiling, slightly neurotic and ever-sarcastic Chandler Bing on Friends, who he portrayed in NBC’s hit sitcom for almost 10 years.
But off-screen, he lived a much harsher reality with an addiction he carried throughout most of his adult life.
Just years after speaking out about how he fought to get clean and sober to live a healthier life, Perry was found dead at the age of 54 in a jacuzzi in California.
While his sudden death has proven heartbreaking for fans and friends alike, Daily Express US is taking a look back at the ups and downs of the legacy Matt leaves behind on television forever.
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Jet Ski accident – 1997
After Friends’ second season, Matt traveled to Las Vegas to film When Fools Rush In, however during his stay there he had a jet ski accident, which led to him being prescribed Vicodin.
Vicodin is a combination of pain medication Hydrocodone and paracetamol and is used to treat moderate to severe pain.
Matt would later become addicted to the drug, which also led to a heavy amount of drinking.
According to his 2022 memoir, at one point, he was taking 55 Vicodin a day and had to try various ploys in order to get them. He’d fake migraines or other pain, and sit through MRIs with different doctors.
The star entered rehab for the first time in 1997, spending 28 days at the Hazelden center in Minnesota, sadly he only briefly stayed sober.
Hospitalization due to pancreatitis – 2000
In May 2000, Matt was hospitalized for two weeks for alcohol-related pancreatitis, and by the end of the year, he was detoxing on the set of Friends.
His appearance drastically changed during the hiatus between seasons six and seven of Friends due to the huge amount of weight he had dropped after suffering from the disease.
Reached out for help – 2001
In February 2001, with less than two weeks left of filming Serving Sara, Matt finally decided to ask for help forcing production to pause for two months.
Speaking to The New York Times, the actor recalled: “Everything’s clear for one split second. I realized I’ve got to go save myself. I got on the phone and called the people who were willing to help me.”
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On the road to recovery – 2002
After two and a half months in a private rehab center, the comedian was finally able to finish filming Serving Sara and was also fit enough to return to Friends, as well as focus on bettering himself.
Throughout 2002, he took part in a number of interviews, explaining his road to recovery and finally getting to a good place after asking for help.
Focusing on his sobriety – 2011
In a statement released in 2011, the Three to Tango star revealed: “I’m making plans to go away for a month to focus on my sobriety and to continue my life in recovery.
“Please enjoy making fun of me on the World Wide Web.”
Announces Perry House – 2013
After taking some time away, Matt bounced back two years later and opened up the Perry House, which is a sober living home for men in Malibu.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades,” he told The Hollywood Reporter of his journey.
“The best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me stop drinking?’ I will say, ‘Yes. I know how to do that.'”
Coma – 2018
In 2018, Matt’s luck appeared to run out after his colon exploded and he was put into a coma for two weeks, while his family was told he had a 2% chance to live.
He was put on an ECMO machine, which pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body – allowing the heart and lungs to rest, along with four other patients in the hospital; the other four did not survive.
He then lived with a colostomy bag for nine months.
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A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4)
Friends reunion – 2021
After being delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the cast of Friends reunited for the first time on screen in 17 years.
Speaking on Matt’s appearance during the HBO Max special, director Ben Winston shared: “He was great. People can sometimes just be unkind. I wish they weren’t.
“I loved working with him. He’s a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show. I felt just happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this.”
Launches his memoir – 2022
In the November of 2022, Matt published his memoir called, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
He announced his memoir via a tweet, which read: “So much has been written about me in the past. I thought it was time people heard from me. The highs were high, the lows were low.
“But I have lived to tell the tale, even though at times it looked like I wouldn’t. And it’s all in here. I apologize it’s not a pop up book.”
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A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4)
Tragic jacuzzi death – 2023
The 54-year-old actor was reportedly found unresponsive at his Californian home on Saturday, October 28, after emergency services responded to calls for a possible cardiac arrest in the afternoon.
TMZ was the first to break the devastating news of his death, reporting their sources say he was found in a jacuzzi.
It was also noted that foul play was not suspected, with drugs not found near his body.
His haunting death came just five days after he took to his Instagram to share a snap of himself relaxing in a jacuzzi.
He appeared to be listening to music and looking out, as the moon shone over the lavish LA home.
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