![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Matthew-Perry-Dead-at-54-Ian-Ziering-Mira-Sorvino-and-More-Stars-React-746.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Stars Pay Tribute to Matthew Perry<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tCelebrities are mourning the loss of actor Matthew Perry after his death at age 54. Perry died from an apparent drowning on Saturday, October 28. Police responded to a call of someone in cardiac arrest at a Los Angeles home, where they reportedly found the actor unconscious in a jacuzzi. Ian Ziering, who worked with [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Perry starred on Friends<\/em> for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004<\/a> as the witty and sarcastic Chandler Bing. According to Littlefield, there was initial interest in Perry\u2019s friend Craig Bierko<\/strong> to play the role, so Perry hesitated to audition himself. \u201cMatthew stayed in the background because he didn\u2019t want to compete with his friend,\u201d he said. \u201cWho says show business has to be cut throat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Former-NBC-President-Warren-Littlefield-Recalls-Working-With-Gifted-Matthew-Perry-How-He-Saved-1996-Upfronts-812.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLittlefield recalled realizing his \u201cprayers were answered\u201d the moment he saw Perry\u2019s audition. From the pilot on, Perry routinely proved \u201cjust how gifted he was comedically,\u201d Littlefield said, noting that the writers, producers and directors \u201calways benefited\u201d<\/a> from his \u201ccontributions and instincts.\u201d<\/p>\nNews broke on Saturday, October 28, that Perry had died at the age of 54<\/a>. According to multiple reports, local law enforcement officers responded to a cardiac arrest call at Perry\u2019s Los Angeles home. The county\u2019s medical examiner confirmed one day later that Perry, who was found unresponsive in his jacuzzi tub, had died on the scene. A cause of death has not been revealed<\/a>.<\/p>\nPrior to his passing, Perry struggled with the throws of addiction for years. On Wednesday, Littlefield shared that it became \u201cclear\u201d fairly \u201cearly on\u201d in the life of Friends<\/em> that Perry \u201cneeded help\u201d before he entered rehab for the first time in 1997.<\/p>\n\u201cThere were many programs to choose from, but Matthew chose a particularly tough program<\/a> in a distant city, one that didn\u2019t cater to being rich or famous,\u201d Littlefield said. \u201cThe choice was surprising, but he believed putting in the hard work was what he needed.\u201d<\/p>\nPerry was vocal about this decades-long battle with alcohol and drug addiction \u2014 which he detailed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing<\/em><\/a>. At his lowest point, the Emmy winner revealed he was taking 55 Vicodin a day and weighed just 128 pounds. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to stop,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe disease and the addiction is progressive, so it gets worse and worse as you grow older.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Matthew-Perrys-Ups-and-Downs-Through-the-Years-A-Timeline-Feature.jpg?crop=0px%2C2px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Matthew Perry\u2019s Ups and Downs Through the Years<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tMatthew Perry never shied away from opening up about his struggles after rising to stardom for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends. \u201cWhen [fame] happens, it\u2019s kind of like Disneyland for a while. For me it lasted about eight months, this feeling of \u2018I\u2019ve made it, I\u2019m thrilled, there\u2019s no problem in the world.\u2019 [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
He also recalled spending two months in a coma and five months in the hospital when his colon burst in 2018 due to excessive drug use, which resulted in a seven-hour surgery that doctors said he had a two percent chance of surviving. \u201cNot only do I have the disease<\/a>, but I also have it bad,\u201d Perry said. \u201cEven on good days, when I\u2019m sober and I\u2019m looking forward, it\u2019s still with me all the time.\u201d<\/p>\nEarlier this month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> that Perry sparked health concerns following his appearance on Max\u2019s 2021 Friends<\/em> reunion special. \u201cPeople had been worried about him because he wasn\u2019t in the best form during the reunion taping,\u201d the insider said. \u201cOf course, there was an initial feeling of \u2018Could we have done something more for him?\u2019 They are all just incredibly sad.\u201d<\/p>\nMeanwhile, Perry\u2019s Friends costars \u2014 including Jennifer Aniston<\/strong><\/a>, Lisa Kudrow<\/strong><\/a>, Matt LeBlanc<\/strong><\/a>, David Schwimmer<\/strong><\/a> and\u00a0 Courteney Cox<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 mourned the loss of their longtime pal in a Monday, October 30, statement to Us<\/em>: \u201cWe were more than just cast mates. We are a family<\/a>. There is so much to say, but right now we\u2019re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nThank You!<\/h3>\n
You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>Littlefield recalled realizing his \u201cprayers were answered\u201d the moment he saw Perry\u2019s audition. From the pilot on, Perry routinely proved \u201cjust how gifted he was comedically,\u201d Littlefield said, noting that the writers, producers and directors \u201calways benefited\u201d<\/a> from his \u201ccontributions and instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n News broke on Saturday, October 28, that Perry had died at the age of 54<\/a>. According to multiple reports, local law enforcement officers responded to a cardiac arrest call at Perry\u2019s Los Angeles home. The county\u2019s medical examiner confirmed one day later that Perry, who was found unresponsive in his jacuzzi tub, had died on the scene. A cause of death has not been revealed<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prior to his passing, Perry struggled with the throws of addiction for years. On Wednesday, Littlefield shared that it became \u201cclear\u201d fairly \u201cearly on\u201d in the life of Friends<\/em> that Perry \u201cneeded help\u201d before he entered rehab for the first time in 1997.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were many programs to choose from, but Matthew chose a particularly tough program<\/a> in a distant city, one that didn\u2019t cater to being rich or famous,\u201d Littlefield said. \u201cThe choice was surprising, but he believed putting in the hard work was what he needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Perry was vocal about this decades-long battle with alcohol and drug addiction \u2014 which he detailed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing<\/em><\/a>. At his lowest point, the Emmy winner revealed he was taking 55 Vicodin a day and weighed just 128 pounds. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to stop,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe disease and the addiction is progressive, so it gets worse and worse as you grow older.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMatthew Perry never shied away from opening up about his struggles after rising to stardom for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends. \u201cWhen [fame] happens, it\u2019s kind of like Disneyland for a while. For me it lasted about eight months, this feeling of \u2018I\u2019ve made it, I\u2019m thrilled, there\u2019s no problem in the world.\u2019 [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He also recalled spending two months in a coma and five months in the hospital when his colon burst in 2018 due to excessive drug use, which resulted in a seven-hour surgery that doctors said he had a two percent chance of surviving. \u201cNot only do I have the disease<\/a>, but I also have it bad,\u201d Perry said. \u201cEven on good days, when I\u2019m sober and I\u2019m looking forward, it\u2019s still with me all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> that Perry sparked health concerns following his appearance on Max\u2019s 2021 Friends<\/em> reunion special. \u201cPeople had been worried about him because he wasn\u2019t in the best form during the reunion taping,\u201d the insider said. \u201cOf course, there was an initial feeling of \u2018Could we have done something more for him?\u2019 They are all just incredibly sad.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Perry\u2019s Friends costars \u2014 including Jennifer Aniston<\/strong><\/a>, Lisa Kudrow<\/strong><\/a>, Matt LeBlanc<\/strong><\/a>, David Schwimmer<\/strong><\/a> and\u00a0 Courteney Cox<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 mourned the loss of their longtime pal in a Monday, October 30, statement to Us<\/em>: \u201cWe were more than just cast mates. We are a family<\/a>. There is so much to say, but right now we\u2019re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.\u201d<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Matthew Perry\u2019s Ups and Downs Through the Years<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThank You!<\/h3>\n
![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Bob-Knight-dies-aged-83-813.jpg?crop=0px%2C76px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
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