Matthew Perry, 'Friends' Actor, Dead at 54

The actor was reportedly found dead on Saturday after an apparent drowning.

Matthew Perry, best known for his role on the sitcom Friends, has died, according to multiple reports. TMZ was first to report the news. He was 54 years old. 

According to TMZ who spoke to law enforcement and the Los Angeles Times, Perry was found dead in a hot tub at a house in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, Oct. 28.  

A rep for the Los Angeles Police Department tells ET, "West L.A. officers responded to [a residence] at 4:10 p.m. for a Death Investigation of a male in his 50s."

ET has reached out to Perry's reps for comment. Story is developing...

Perry was born on Aug. 19, 1969 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. His mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, is a journalist and served as the press secretary to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, while his father, John Bennett Perry, is an American actor and former model. Perry also went to school with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he briefly lived in Canada.

Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

At 15, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and after a few guest roles, Perry was cast as a regular on the 1990 CBS sitcom Sydney, and portrayed the younger brother of Valerie Bertinelli's character. He also made guest appearances on Beverly Hills, 90210 and had a starring role on the ABC sitcom Home Free in 1993.

Perry then got his big break in 1994 when he landed the role of Chandler Bing on NBC's hit '90s sitcom Friends, which also starred Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, for 10 seasons. His acting credits also include Aaron Sorkin's short-lived TV show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the romantic comedy Fools Rush In starring Salma Hayek, and The Whole Nine Yards starring Bruce Willis and Amanda Peet.

In 2022, he came out with a memoirFriends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, which detailed his rise to fame, his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction and his health battles. 

In his book, he recalled facing a near-death experience when he was 49 after he suffered a gastrointestinal perforation when his colon burst from opioid overuse. The actor fought for his life, spending two weeks in a coma and five months in the hospital, and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months. 

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

"The doctors told my family that I had a two percent chance to live," he told People last year. "I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that."

His final post on Instagram was a photo of him in a pool. "Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman," he captioned the image.

Perry never married but was briefly engaged to Molly Hurwitz for six months in 2021. He is survived by his mother and father. 

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