After his tragic passing, fans of Friends and beyond are all asking the same thing: how did Matthew Perry die? The star of the beloved sitcom was only 54, leaving many with questions about the circumstances of his death. Up ahead, we’re sharing all of the answers we know so far.

Born in 1969, Matthew Perry was raised by John Bennett Perry, an actor, and Suzanne Marie Langford, the former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His early life was divided between Montreal and Los Angeles, following his parents’ separation when he was just a year old.

After his tragic passing, fans of Friends and beyond are all asking the same thing: how did Matthew Perry die? The star of the beloved sitcom was only 54, leaving many with questions about the circumstances of his death. Up ahead, we’re sharing all of the answers we know so far.

Born in 1969, Matthew Perry was raised by John Bennett Perry, an actor, and Suzanne Marie Langford, the former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His early life was divided between Montreal and Los Angeles, following his parents’ separation when he was just a year old.

Perry’s journey in the entertainment world began as a child actor. When he was 15, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and try out an acting career by moving to Los Angeles. Perry landed his first sitcom role on the show Second Chance (which later became Boys Will Be Boys) and went on to secure roles in series like Charles in Charge and Beverly Hills 90210. By 1988, he had already made his big screen debut in the film A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, where he starred alongside the late River Phoenix.

However, it was the role of Chandler Bing in the legendary sitcom Friends that really catapulted Perry to superstardom. Premiering on NBC in 1994, the show about six single New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Perry, who was only 25 years old when the series began, became a household name seemingly overnight alongside his fellow cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. And the momentum didn’t let up: by the series’ end, the finale episode drew in over 50 million live viewers, and each of the Friends cast members had salaries of over $1 million per episode.

As Chandler Bing—the witty roommate to LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani, and eventual love interest of Cox’s Monica Geller—Perry was an essential piece of the Friends ensemble. His dry humor and distinctive delivery etched Chandler’s place into pop culture, with catchphrases and memorable moments that fans still cherish today. Could he be any more perfect for the role?

Along with 10 seasons of Friends under his belt, Perry’s acting credits included the romantic comedy Fools Rush In starring Salma Hayek, The Whole Nine Yards starring Bruce Willis and Amanda Peet, and Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

In 2022, Perry came out with a memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir , which detailed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction alongside his rise to fame. In the book, he recalled a near-death experience at the age of 49, when his colon burst from overuse of opioids. The actor spent two weeks in a coma, and another five months recovering in the hospital.

As the world continues to remember Matthew Perry, we’re delving into the details surrounding his tragic passing. For everything we know about Matthew Perry’s cause of death and how he died, keep on reading below.

How did Matthew Perry die?

How did Matthew Perry die? Matthew Perry died at the age of 54 from an apparent drowning, according to TMZ. The publication reported that the Friends actor was found dead in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, October 28, 2023.

Initial reports claimed that there were no drugs found at the scene and no foul play was involved, however, an investigation into how Matthew Perry died is still ongoing.