Matthew Perry passed away on Saturday. (Photo: Reuters)
Indan fans of the TV show Friends woke up on Sunday to the shocking news of the demise of Matthew Perry. The 54-year-old Emmy-nominated actor, who played Chandler Bing in Friends, was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death.
Friends aired from 1994-2004 and has found a cult status even among the younger generations. While rewatching the episodes is comforting for many, they were in for a surprise when in 2021, the cast got together one last time on-screen to celebrate a ‘reunion’. The special feature was like a big dose of happiness for fans. Apart from Perry, the entire cast, including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer were seen revisiting their time on the show and how they became real-life friends. However, not many know that Perry almost missed filming the episode owing to an emergency surgery.
The actor shared that he had an urgent dental appointment that made his “mouth feel like fire” a couple of days before the reunion. “It sounded like my voice was up … I couldn’t not show up,” he told Diane Sawyer in an interview on ABC. “So, what I chose to do was just go and do the best that I could.” The special aired in May 2021 and was hosted by James Corden.
However, given the pain and recent surgery, the actor’s speech seemed slurry during the episode, leading fans to either criticise or show concern. Many wondered if the years of drug abuse and alcohol had caused the issue for the actor.
In the reunion special, Matthew Perry, amid tears, spoke about how special the bond became between the six actors. Sharing the “best” description about it, he said, “After the show was over and at a party or social gathering if one of us bumped into each other that was the end of the night. You sat with that person all night long.” He added that they would apologise to the person they were with, but they “had to understand” how they’ve met a special person, and that they would talk to them through the night. He shared that it might seem odd, but “it worked for all of us”.
Friends centered on a group of six friends living in New York. They went through life, relationships, and even career issues together, having each other’s back throughout. Perry’s Chandler was a sarcastic yet insecure and neurotic roommate of Joey (LeBlanc). By the series’ end, Chandler is married to Cox’s Monica and they have a family, reflecting the journey of the core cast from single New Yorkers to married and starting families.
“Before that final episode, I’d taken (co-creator/EP) Marta Kauffman to one side. ‘I said, ‘Nobody else will care about this except me. So, may I please have the last line?’ That’s why as we all troop out of the apartment, and Rachel has suggested one last coffee, I got to bring the curtain down on Friends,” Perry wrote in his memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
The last scene in the show had Chandler and Monica moving out as they decided to raise their kids away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The six friends reminisced about their time in the apartment. As they are about to step out, Rachel asks the couple if they have time to get coffee or would they have to leave immediately for their new home. To this, Chandler replies, “Sure. Where?” Given the friends spent maximum time at the coffee shop Central Perk, his line was another proof of his sarcasm and humour.
