“Friends” co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, alongside the show’s executive producer Kevin Bright, have released a joint statement regarding the recent death of Matthew Perry at age 54.
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing,” the trio said in their shared remarks to The Times. “It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives.”
The group further praised Perry’s comedic acting abilities, highlighted by his 10-year run as the idiosyncratic, fast-talking Chandler Bing on the lauded NBC comedy.
“He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us,” they wrote.
“We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
The grouping ended their message by sending their love and regards to Perry’s family and friends and labeled this heartbreaking period “The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken” — an homage to the episode naming tradition on “Friends.”
The triumvirate was the latest in a long list of big-name personalities — which includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Blair, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several of Perry’s “Friends” co-stars — to react to the TV legend’s death.
Perry was found dead Saturday in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, law enforcement sources said.
Authorities responded at around 4 p.m. to a call to go to his home, where the “Whole Nine Yards” star was discovered unresponsive. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, did not cite a cause of death. No drugs were found at the scene, sources said, but a source told The Times that prescription medications were recovered at the home and hence toxicology will be part of the investigation. A representative for Perry did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Los Angeles Police Capt. Scot Williams, who leads the Robbery Homicide Division that is investigating Perry’s death, said the “cause of death may not be known for some time, but at this point foul play is not suspected.” The cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
