Perrywas tragically found unresponsive in the jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. Emergency services had been alerted to a cardiac arrest at the property, and it has been suggested Perry’s death at age 54 may have been due to drowning.
During the show’s 10-year run, the core actors appeared in 236 episodes of the show which, to the generation who loved it, is widely regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms.
Perry played Chandler Bing, described as a “sarcastic, self-deprecating data processor” who roomed with at times clueless party boy Joey Tribbiani, played by LeBlanc.
Perry and his castmates quickly became part of pop culture for the generation who adopted them.
In nightclubs around New Zealand, dance floors would rapidly fill whenever the opening chords of the show’s theme – I’ll be There For You by the Rembrandts – played.
Women asked their hairdressers for the “Rachel”.
Outside Friends the Experience in New York on October 29, 2023. Photo / Jeenah Moon, The New York Times
Kiwis are among the millions of fans of the show who have visited one of the main settings of the sitcom, the Central Perk cafe.
And in 2021, more than one million New Zealanders tuned into the much-requested reunion show; one of the biggest shows on Kiwi TV that year.
Perry died after a well-documented and sad battle with addiction; he was the Friends cast member who struggled the most during and after the show.
But just as Chandler Bing stayed tight with the characters played by Schwimmer, Aniston, Cox, Kudrow and LeBlanc in Friends, away from the acting world, that group stuck by him during his troubles.
One of the creeds of Friends – and something adopted by its fans – was that you stand by your mates no matter how big their muck-ups may be. You forgave and got on with things.
And just like his acting mates didn’t give up on him, neither did Perry’s fans around the world.
The five remaining core cast members of Friends summed it up best when they issued a statement on Monday saying: “We were more than just castmates. We are a family.”
People place flowers and notes in front of the building known as the "Friends apartment" following the death of 54-year-old actor Matthew Perry. Photo / Getty Images
“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able.
“For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
That global network of Friends fans features many Kiwis who tuned into the initial 10-series run and many replays since.
