Lisa Kudrow believes her “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry may have died of side effects from medication in a hot tub, sources say.
A source close to Kudrow told DailyMail.com: “Nobody wants to think it’s a drug, prescription or not, but it’s definitely in their mind.” “They think he got something that didn’t get him in hot water.”
Perry has spoken publicly about alcoholism and opiate addiction, but said in a recent interview that he is clean. TMZ reported that antidepressants and anxiety medication were found in his home and that no illegal drugs were found during the investigation. It has been suggested that drowning may have been the cause of death, but this has yet to be confirmed. Testing will be done soon.
Kudrow, who played Phoebe in the hit comedy, said her death at the age of 54 was surreal because “nobody” attended the funeral and even promised to adopt her dog. The actor’s body was taken from the front door of his home in a coroner’s van on Saturday night after he was found dead in a hot tub of suspected drowning.
Perry’s mother, Suzanne, and stepfather, Keith Morrison, were the first to arrive at their home in Los Angeles after learning of their son’s death. Perry’s biological father, actor JonBenet Perry, 82, also visited the home near Pacific Palisades.
“We are devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” the family said in a brief statement Sunday afternoon.
“Matei brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and as a friend. “You all meant so much to him and we are grateful for the endless outpouring of love.”
Emergency crews were called to the “Friends” star’s home for a “water emergency” and found him drowning.
Police sources told NBC News and CNN they believe there is a possibility of a “water rescue” at the prankster’s home after receiving a call at 4:07 p.m. PT on Saturday. Perry is believed to have drowned hours after the pickleball game, and in the released audio recordings, the man can be heard saying “23 saved” and “drowned”.
Perry was not taken to hospital, but later saw a coroner’s van arrive at his home. The official cause of death has not yet been announced and an autopsy is underway.
According to TMZ’s law enforcement source, investigators found prescriptions for antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs at Perry’s luxury home overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but no illegal drugs. The actor was also on prescription COPD medication.
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and the drugs found in Perry’s home are typically used for patients with emphysema or chronic bronchitis. Perry was a chain smoker and struggled with alcohol and opiate addiction, but claimed he was clean before the suspected drowning.
“It doesn’t seem real or fair to him or the gang,” Kudrow’s friend said. “Because Matthew finally has peace of mind and has had the best year of his life since the book came out a year ago. He was enjoying life. “He became closer than ever to his parents and took an active part in his sobriety. He was shocked that he did not know the cause of her death.
The 60-year-old actress revealed that she is considering adopting Alfred, the dog that Perry purchased three years ago and introduced to the world on Instagram. “It’s me and @alfreddoodleperry,” Perry wrote, “Who’s cuter? Do not answer.”
Perry’s last Instagram post was from her apparent drowning in a hot tub earlier this week. “She loved outdoor hot tubs and was so amazed she was alone in her last Instagram post,” Kudrow’s friend said.
Lisa and the entire cast participate in her activities. Lisa is also considering adopting her beloved dog, Alfred.”
Officers from the Los Angeles State Police Robbery and Homicide Division were also dispatched to the home, and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is expected to perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
Friends, which follows the lives of six 20-something friends living in New York, was a huge worldwide hit when it aired from 1994 to 2004, and reruns remain popular years later. Perry gained a worldwide fan base for his 2002 Emmy-nominated role as Chandler, but behind the glitz and glamor, he secretly struggled with drugs for decades.
She recently posted a photo taken in the pool on Instagram and said: “Wow does the warm water feel good? My name is Mattman.\’
Perry, who has never been married but has dated several stars including Julia Roberts, has been open about her drug and alcohol problems since first entering rehab for painkiller addiction following of a jet ski accident in 1997.
After the first period, he entered rehabilitation again in 2001 and 2011. He said in a 2016 interview that he doesn’t remember filming all three seasons of Friends.
Despite hiding her demons from the public for years, Perry detailed her struggles in her 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and Something Bigger. He wrote in the opening: “Hello. My name is matthew. But you may know me by another name. My friends call me Marty. And I must be dead.
He added: “People are surprised to learn that I’ve been sober since 2001, apart from about 60 or 70 minor accidents over the years.”
A long-term friend of Perry’s, who is receiving treatment with her, told DailyMail.com last night: ‘Everyone is in despair. People are crying on the phone trying to process the news.
“It’s no secret that he struggled with drugs and alcohol for many years. But when I last spoke to him, he seemed to be in a better place in recent weeks. “He was funny, down to earth and positive.
“He went to rehab 17 times and almost died from opiate abuse, but he was a man who was willing to give up life and sobriety on a daily basis. “This is very sad news. We all pray that this never happens again. Matt was a very nice guy. He was always the first to welcome newcomers to the group, ready to help and serve. “We are all trying to come to terms with this terrible news.”
Friends including Maggie Wheeler and Morgan Fairchild recalled the joy Perry had for “bringing so many people together” after his “shocking” death.
Wheeler, who played Perry’s girlfriend Janice Hosenstein earlier in the season of “Friends,” said, “Oh! He uses this expression often. Mine! My God!” is a tribute to Perry on Instagram. “What a huge loss,” Wheeler wrote on a photo of the pair.
Read more: Matthew Perry’s Mom, Dad and Stepdad Visit Sons’ LA Home
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“The world will miss Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short life continues.
“I feel blessed for every creative moment we share.”
Meanwhile, Fairchild, who plays Perry’s mother and erotic novelist Nora Bing in the film, tweeted: “I am heartbroken by the untimely death of ‘my son Matthew Perry.’
The 73-year-old American actress added: “It’s devastating to lose such a brilliant young actor.” “My love and condolences go out to his friends and family, especially his father, John Bennett Perry, with whom he worked on Flamingo Road and Falcon Crest.”
“Matthew Perry was a huge inspiration to me growing up,” said Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison.
“My friends and I picked up on Chandler’s sarcastic lines, way of speaking and even Chandler’s dance at school. “He gave me so much joy and unknowingly inspired me to go into acting. thank you.\’
Friends production company Warner Bros. said in a statement: “We are shocked by the death of Matthew Perry. He was a true gift to us all. Our hearts go out to his family, loved ones and all his fans.”
US broadcaster NBC, which has been broadcasting the series for nearly a decade, added: “We are deeply saddened by the sudden death of Matthew Perry.” “He brought great entertainment to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his great comedic timing and witty humor. “His legacy will continue for generations,” the report said. Perry was a perfect fit for the role of Chandler, beloved for his sarcastic lines, and many of his mannerisms were derived from the actor’s personality.
“It was as if he had been stalking me for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms and my jaded but witty outlook on life,” he wrote in his memoir. One character in particular stood out to me. It wasn’t that I thought I was going to play Chandler. I was Chandler.
However, his alcoholism began to surface when he first appeared on “Friends” at the age of 24. At the end of the hit series’ tenth series, Perry revealed years later that she had “a lot of problems”.
He said in a 2016 interview that he doesn’t remember three seasons of the show because it “was weird” at the time. On Friends, Perry revealed that she takes 55 Vicodin painkillers a day and weighs just 128 pounds (just over 9 pounds).
Born in Massachusetts, Perry grew up in Canada, where she went to school with current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He also said: “Matthew Perry’s death is shocking and sad. I will never forget the school yard games we enjoyed and I know people around the world will never forget the joy they brought. “Thanks for the smile, Matthew. You are loved and will be missed.”
After moving to Los Angeles, Perry starred as Chaz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys and appeared in series including the sitcom Growing Pains before becoming an international superstar as Chandler. “I’m the only person who’s ever played this game,” Friends creator Martha Kauffman said in the 2021 reunion special.
The star opened up about her devastating battle with drug and alcohol addiction, which nearly took her life, in her memoir, Friends, Lovers and Something Big Awful: A Memoir. Perry also discovered that at the age of 49, his colon ruptured due to opioid addiction.
Doctors gave him only a 2% chance of survival and he spent two weeks in a coma, then another month in hospital. Perry required 14 surgeries to repair all of her abdominal injuries and admitted to going to rehab 15 times over the years to kick her drug addiction.
Friends admit that at one point in his career he took 55 Vicodin a day and lost only 128 pounds, but still “couldn’t stop.”
He said in a 2016 interview that he doesn’t remember filming all three seasons of Friends. “We have this weird rule that we never drink alcohol on set,” Perry said. “But when there was an emergency, I rushed to work. “It’s scary to feel that way, but it’s also scary to work and have fun.”
He even said he goes to open houses not because he wants to buy real estate, but to see if he can steal drugs from the pharmacy.
The most cynical and sharp, but sometimes clumsy and anxious member of the group, Chandler Bean has become a fan favorite. Perry and her co-stars (Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer) each negotiated $1 million per episode by the end of its wildly popular and zeitgeist-defining 236-episode run.
In a sign of the show’s enduring appeal, the gang each pocketed $2.5 million for the 2021 reunion episode. Perry’s slurred speech in the episode worried fans.
Perry shocked her co-stars by admitting she suffered from extreme anxiety “every night” while filming the sitcom. Perry was born in Massachusetts on August 19, 1969, and raised in Ottawa by his mother, Susan Morrison, a Canadian writer and former press adviser to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Morrison’s father and Perry were married from 1968 to 1970, after which she married Canadian journalist Keith Morrison, who appeared on Dateline in 1981, for several decades. In Canada, Perry was a top tennis player, but at the age of 15 he moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his father, John Bennett Perry, an actor known for several shows, including Falcon Crest and later for Old Spice commercials.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Perry appeared on some of the most popular television shows of the era, including Charles in Charge, Who’s the Boss?, Growing Pains, Beverly Hills and 90210. He also played the role of River Phoenix in the 1988 film A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.
“Being a 16-year-old in Chicago without my parents was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Perry told BuzzFeed. “I knew I wanted to act.”
He told the New York Times in 2002 that he sought fame. “I had steam coming out of my ears and I wanted to be famous. “You want attention, you want money, you want the best seat in the restaurant. “I had no idea what the outcome would be,” he said.
Perry’s dream of becoming famous was realized through the NBC sitcom Friends. The show chronicled the lives of six 20-somethings trying to find their way in New York. Viewers loved the show for 10 seasons and continue to love it today, even 15 years after the show ended.
Last night, fans gathered outside the New York apartment featured in the series to lay flowers. One of his main storylines on Friends was his character’s secret romance with Monica Geller, which turned into marriage and the couple adopted twins.
Perry also starred in 17 Again with Zac Efron, In a Hurry with Salma Hayek and The Take with comedian Dave Chappelle. He appeared in several films, including: She appeared in The Whole Nine Yards and The Kid alongside Bruce Willis, who appeared in the sixth series of Friends.
Meanwhile, his television work includes two Emmy nominations for his roles as Joe Quincy in the short-lived Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip and The West Wing, both produced by producer Aaron Sorkin. In 2007, Perry received an Emmy nomination for his role as Ron Clark in The Ron Clark Story, a story about a troubled but talented young teacher.
In her memoir, Perry spoke briefly about how she would like to be remembered after her death. “I know when I die, people will be talking about friends, friends, friends,” he wrote.
“I am happy that I have done a good job as an actor and that the World Wide Web has given me many opportunities to make fun of my struggles. “But after I die, it would be nice if my friends would support what I have done to help others, even what I call achievements.
“I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice.”
Perry has never been married and ended his engagement to talent manager Molly Hurwitz in 2021. He dated several famous actresses, including Julia Roberts and Lizzie Kaplan.