In a statement , Marta Kauffman and David Crane , along with executive producer Kevin Bright , discussed Matthew Perry ’s lasting impingement onFriendsand how " he was the sweetest , with a giving and altruistic marrow . "
All weekend, tributes forMatthew Perryhave been pouring in after the beloved actordiedat the age of 54.
Of course, alongside roles in movies likeFools Rush In,17 Again,The Whole Nine Yards, and more, Matthew’s most notable role was playing Chandler Bing onFriendsfor 236 episodes. His work earned him a SAG Award alongside the rest of the cast in 1996, and an Emmy nomination in 2002.
Shortly after the news broke on Oct. 28, fans began to flock to social media not only todiscussMatthew’s impact as the iconic Chandler but also to remember him for his advocacy surrounding mental health and addiction.
ascertain friends for the first time and falling in love with chandler bing is something i will evermore deem affectionately . one of the respectable persona on television , and one of the good actors to wager it . i m beyond distraught . matthew perry was too young . this is heartbreakingpic.twitter.com/S1AAdEzswl
i ’m not only distraught over matthew perry ’s expire because Raymond Chandler is one of my pet character but because he was spread awareness about dependance , all he want was to avail people struggling with the same disease he scramble with and now he ’s gone , i hate it here
Celebrities alsopaid tributeto the late actor, including some of his former costars, like Maggie Wheeler, Morgan Fairchild, Mira Sorvino, and more.
And now,Friendsco-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, alongside executive producer Kevin Bright, haveissued a statementfollowing Matthew’s death.
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible,” they began in theirjoint statement, via Peoplemagazine. “All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives.”
They continued, saying, “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.”
Speaking about being cast onFriends, Matthew previously said he almost had to turn down the role because he was under contract with another show, calledLAX 2194. On getting the script forFriends, hesaid, “It was hilarious and great. There was this part that was perfect for me, and it was making me crazy that I couldn’t go up for it because [of] the baggage handlers show. I was losing my mind.”
In his recent memoir,Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew also wrote about praying to God that he would become famous shortly before landing the role of Chandler,writing, via CNN, “‘God, you can do whatever you want to me. Just please make me famous.’ Three weeks later, I got cast inFriends. And God has certainly kept his side of the bargain — but the Almighty, being the Almighty, had not forgotten the first part of that prayer as well.”
TheFriendscreators also detailed in their statement on Matthew’s passing how much joy he brought to the set ofFriends, which is evident by thehours of bloopersand behind-the-scenes moments you can watch.
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.”
Marta, David, and Kevin ended their statement with, “We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken,” nodding to the iconic titles ofFriendsepisodes.
You can read more tributes from Matthew’s acting peers and fanshereandhere.
