‘Friends’ star dies in hot tub – media

US actor Matthew Perry has died at the age of 54, according to police sources

American actor Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the 90s sitcom ‘Friends’, was found dead in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, law enforcement sources told TMZ and NBC.

Perry’s body was reportedly found in a jacuzzi at his LA-area home, with no foul play suspected and no drugs found at the scene, police sources told TMZ. 

The incident was treated as a “water rescue,” according to a law enforcement source cited by NBC. Police sources also confirmed Perry’s death to Rolling Stone.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said that officers “responded at 4:10 this afternoon to a death investigation for a male in his 50s.” However, the authorities have yet to officially confirm the identity of the deceased or details of the incident.

Perry, a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and producer, was born on August 19, 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in the US. However he was raised in Ottawa, Canada where his mother, Suzanne Morrison, a journalist who served as press secretary for the country's former PM Pierre Trudeau, moved following divorce from his, father, the American actor John Bennett Perry.

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He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 15 to pursue an acting career and first appeared in the TV series ‘Second Chance’ before making his big screen debut in ‘A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon’. 

While ‘Friends’ is his biggest claim to fame, he also starred in memorable films such as ‘Fools Rush In’ along with his father and Salma Hayek, ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ with Bruce Willis, ‘Three to Tango’, ‘The Kid’, ’17 Again’, ‘Getting In’, and many others. 

Perry also acted in various TV shows – ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, ‘Growing Pains’, ‘Silver Spoons’, ‘Charles in Charge’, ‘Sydney’, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’, Home Free’, and more. 

His roles in ‘West Wing’ and ‘The Ron Clark Story’ earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. 

Despite his humorous side, Perry struggled with drugs and alcohol. He was hooked on the painkiller Vicodin for years and was in and out of rehab even when filming ‘Friends’.

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He opened up about his struggles in his memoir ‘Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’, which was published last year and became a best-seller on the Amazon and New York Times charts. 

Although Perry became sober a year ago, his appearance during a ‘Friends’ reunion show drew concern from his fans as he appeared unwell, slurring words and looking disorientated. 

He never married, but was briefly engaged to Molly Hurwitz, a literary manager, before calling off the engagement in June 2021.