Matthew Perry dead at 54

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/28/entertainment/matthew-perry-dead/index.html
 

As someone of the same age as the Friends cast, I'm stunned.

-Rob

As someone who saw the Friends reunion, I unfortunately can't say I am terribly shocked.

It would have been nice to see him fully recover though.

RIP

It would have been nice to see him recover, and it's really sad how people get into situations like his.  It's really too bad how easy it can get into addiction and so very hard to get back out.

Have to be thankful for the comedy art that he let us all see when he could.

Drugs are a motherberkeleyer. 

The news reports seem to indicate he had been clean at least a few years (?).

Even so, the drugs and alcohol can certainly take toll.

Reports are he drowned.rip. 

I read an interview with him from 2020 where he himself said he had relapsed “60 or 70 times” since trying to get clean 2003.   That doesn't sound like someone who ever actually got sober.

I hated Friends but never minded his character. It's a shame he couldn't get ahead of his issues.

RIP Matthew Perry. Thanks for the laughs. 

The Whole Nine Yards is one of his best.

Plus Amanda Peet.

He had quite a life of struggle.

He was funny on the show that made him famous but clearly suffered demons. After repeated bad news in the last decade, this news is not a surprise. Still sad. RIP

Sad to see someone who had everything suffer so much and end up struggling

In reply to docwyte :

I've been seeing a lot about all of this.  Seems his addictions began at 14.  That is a bitch.  Then hitting it big on TV gave him all the money he needed.  Alcohol and pain killers were his preferences.   He was heavily addicted during the run of the show.  He sure hid it well.   He had been clean for something like 18 months.  He played pickleball for 2 hours before going home, sending his aide to the store, and hopping in the hot tub.  With all the damage he suffered to his body, it's possible his death could have been a result of the previous abuse.  The autopsy will tell.   

Duke said:

I read an interview with him from 2020 where he himself said he had relapsed “60 or 70 times” since trying to get clean 2003.   That doesn't sound like someone who ever actually got sober.

 

It does sound like somebody who knew they had a problem and were trying. Many people don't even get to the point of realizing they even have a problem.  

I respect any and all efforts to shake a monkey off of one's back. 

 

Coming back to this, it just reminded me of how old I really am.  The show dovetailed what my friends and I were experiencing same things as the characters, so it was a bit of a snapshot of our lives.  I related to Perry's characters sarcasm quite a lot, but it was so well written, we all saw different aspects of our personality in all of them.   

I know there are haters of the show, which is fine, because I kinda feel like it was more of an "in the moment" series than anything else.  No, we didn't have super cheap apartments in New York, but the day to day stuff (obviously exaggerated for TV), was close enough to our own lives that we could relate. It seems to have held up, but I doubt it'll have the same staying power as something like MASH.

I read his autobiography back when it came out.  He did have a lot of substance abuse issues, but it seemed like he was trying to overcome them.  Even if he relapsed multiple times, he kept trying.  I had to respect someone who realized it and kept trying.  It's interesting that I kinda remember some of his issues during the show run, but we were still early in the internet days, so it wasn't as obvious as it would have been today.  I kinda miss that innocence where we could enjoy something without everything being torn apart by the internet ad nauseam. 

-Rob

That sucks. Never cared for the show but I can respect someone who is trying to get their act together. Addiction is a motherf---.

As for relapse. Fall down 7 times, get up 8. As long as you keep trying.

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

Duke said:

I read an interview with him from 2020 where he himself said he had relapsed “60 or 70 times” since trying to get clean 2003.   That doesn't sound like someone who ever actually got sober.

It does sound like somebody who knew they had a problem and were trying. Many people don't even get to the point of realizing they even have a problem.  

I respect any and all efforts to shake a monkey off of one's back.

Agreed, 100%.  I didn't mean to come off otherwise.

Shame, I liked him in most everything I saw him in. I was surprised when I found he voiced Benny in Fallout: New Vegas and always thought that was rad.

I struggled to quit smoking and booze.  I can't imagine what it's like to kick more addictive narcotics.  I'm definitely in the "illness, not weakness" camp.

Even if he relapsed and then drowned, I still have the same sympathy.  Some battles are won, some are lost.  I appreciated his talent.

Streetwiseguy said:

The Whole Nine Yards is one of his best.

Agreed.  Also Fools Rush In.  

Apropos for this forum...I just heard on TV that the producers of Friends originally wanted to use REM's Shiny Happy People as the show's theme song.  

There is toxicology information available now.  I'm not sure if it's reliable, but it ought to be considered.

DW is reading his memoir right now, prompted by the news.

She's about a quarter of the way through it, but based on what she's told me, it's no wonder the poor guy had addiction issues.  At 9 months old his parents got him prescribed phenobarbitol to make him quit crying so much.

With the understanding that this is from his perspective, he was basically ignored and unsupervised from a very young age.

Duke said:

DW is reading his memoir right now, prompted by the news.

She's about a quarter of the way through it, but based on what she's told me, it's no wonder the poor guy had addiction issues.  At 9 months old his parents got him prescribed phenobarbitol to make him quit crying so much.

With the understanding that this is from his perspective, he was basically ignored and unsupervised from a very young age.

 

Damn, that sounds like the "put a little whiskey on the pacifier."

Not related to Matthew Perry, but someone I knew - a very close friend of a very close friend - just passed away from alcoholism. I don't know all the details, but it sounds like just about complete liver failure with a lot of other complications. Our paths only crossed twice to my recollection, but I liked the guy a lot. 
 

This guy went to rehab 4-5 times. Betty Ford and others. My friend estimates that he/his family spent $200k+ on his addiction issues. He still reached for the bottle.

Addiction is a terrible, terrible disease. 

Alexander Godunov went the same way.  Dancer of Russian Ballet, Actor from many but Die Hard ant The Witness I recall, it's a disease.  No easy way out yet ....