'Friends' star Matthew Perry found dead at Los Angeles home

Actor Matthew Perry, who gained fame in 1990s for his starring role in hit US television comedy "Friends," is found dead at age 54 in a hot tub, US media report.

Matthew Perry smiles at a panel at the Television Critics Association summer 2006 media tour in Pasadena. / Photo: Reuters
Reuters

Matthew Perry smiles at a panel at the Television Critics Association summer 2006 media tour in Pasadena. / Photo: Reuters

Matthew Perry, one of the stars of smash hit TV sitcom "Friends," has been found dead at his home, US media reported. He was 54.

Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday.

The LA Times and TMZ, which first reported the news, both said there were no signs of foul play, citing anonymous sources.

Perry's 10 seasons on "Friends" made him one of Hollywood's most recogniSable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.

As Chandler, he played a sarcastic yet insecure and neurotic roommate of Joey and Ross, played by LeBlanc and Schwimmer respectively.

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.

The series was one of television's biggest hits and has taken on a new life — and found surprising popularity with younger fans — in recent years on streaming services.

The series ran from 1994 until 2004.

A reunion special in 2021 was hosted by James Corden and fed into huge interest in seeing the cast together again, although the HBO Max reunion was the actors discussing the show and not a continuation of their characters' storylines.

Perry received one Emmy nomination for his "Friends" role and two more for appearances as an associate White House counsel on "The West Wing."

Perry also had several notable film roles, starring opposite Salma Hayek in the rom-com "Fools Rush In" and opposite Bruce Willis in the the crime comedy "The Whole Nine Yards."

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