The one with a terrible tragedy

[Hot Pepsi]

Matthew Perry, 54, has died. In a jacuzzi. Circumstances unclear.

That’s a bummer, to say the least. His post-Friends shows all had a lot of promise but none of them lasted.

He’d been sober for a while and was helping other people get sober.

[WOM]

Yeah, this is shit news. Poor guy, I thought he’d seen the worst of it.

[WOM]

TMZ reporting that he’d played pickleball for two hours just before getting in the hot tub. If any sport is gonna get you, it’s pickleball.

[Hot Pepsi]

Also this week, Richard Moll, the guy who played Bull on Night Court. But he was 80.

[Tony C]

Very talented actor, and always came across as very honest about his personal flaws. A real shame. RIP.

[diggedy derek]

What awful news. He'd been through hell over the last decade or two, I hoped he might have come out the other side.

[Sporting]

I hoped he might have come out the other side.

Has the death been confirmed as self-inflicted?

[Patrick Thistle]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67252752

Very sad news. Friends was part of the Friday night TV ritual for us for years. I feel shocked.

The Whole Nine Yards was a funny film as well although I don't think it was as successful as it deserved.

[Janik]

More likely an accident. But an accident that is highly unlikely to happen when sober as reflexes work properly when straight. See also Whitney Houston.

[diggedy derek]

Has the death been confirmed as self-inflicted?

I wasn't meaning to hint his death was due to his troubles, I should say. More that I hoped he would get the time and grace to enjoy life with his horrific experiences hopefully behind him.

[Sporting]

Got you.

[ursus arctos]

[Sean of the Shed]

I was never much of a fan of Friends, but the show was so big that all of the main stars were still instantly recognisable to everyone. Whenever you see them on anything else they tend to be thought of as ____ from Friends, even Jennifer Aniston, the most prolific of them beyond the show, is still Rachel from Friends.

Anyway, this just appeared on The Social Media Platform Formerly Known as Twitter.

https://twitter.com/butwhyalex/status/1718592641519043055?t=Nkev_siqN70qiLxlkdo39w&s=19

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/thenitinsawhney/status/1718595296542769409?t=JoNSJXdQ_t8hu0ZTE2TZwQ&s=19

[Satchmo Distel]

More likely an accident. But an accident that is highly unlikely to happen when sober as reflexes work properly when straight. See also Whitney Houston.

I was going to mention Whitney as a close parallel but you beat me to it. I think however that she died from the water being too hot (and after falling in) but it's too grim and too early on a FL Sunday for me to Google to confirm that. Whitney also had suffered from abusive relationships (or one in particular) and perhaps an identity crisis about being a great black singer whose audience was often white (leading to hostility from some of the MOBO audience).

There have been other cases where it's the relapse that kills you. You've lost your earlier tolerance level so your defences are down.

[Eggchaser]

I wonder whether the drugs did for his heart, and that it gave out.

I second The Whole Nine Yards. Perry releasing his pent up rage in the privacy of his car is something I think everyone can relate to.

[Hot Pepsi]

https://twitter.com/thenitinsawhney/status/1718595296542769409?t=JoNSJXdQ_t8hu0ZTE2TZwQ&s=19

I’m reluctant to watch that, but I think I would trust Matthew Perry, on just about any topic, over Hitchens.

[Hot Pepsi]

I think he was the best actor on Friends. Even better than Lisa Kudrow.

[Bored Of Education]

I’m reluctant to watch that, but I think I would trust Matthew Perry, on just about any topic, over Hitchens.

While the alcohol allergy theory he refers to there has, I believe, been long debunked but still promoted by AA, I did enjoy his lambasting of Hitchens

[Bored Of Education]

I think he was the best actor on Friends. Even better than Lisa Kudrow.

He was also in The West Wing, of course and I liked his character in that and would’ve like to see more of him. It was interesting him turning up in that as I thought the Josh Lynam character was somewhat modelled on Chandler

[Patrick Thistle]

He was also in The West Wing, of course and I liked his character in that and would’ve like to see more of him. It was interesting him turning up in that as I thought the Josh Lynam character was somewhat modelled on Chandler

He won two Emmys for that role (best guest star)

[Auntie Beryl]

I enjoyed Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, which paired Perry and Bradley Whitford (Josh in The West Wing). RIP.

[Slightly Brown]

Whether folks like Friends or not (I thought it was brilliant, specifically for the role he played: massively insecure but with love to give), we can agree he was a great comedy actor with perfect timing and keen physicality. The fact that that he was so open about his struggles and tried to help others makes his loss all the more tragic. (Hitchens, like on everything else, can fuck off. He probably thinks women still have ‘brain fever.’)

RIP, man.

[Sits]

Can anyone exude condescension better than Peter Hitchens? Bell end.

[RobW]

IIRC from a Friends documentary many years ago, I think Matthew Perry was the only cast member allowed into the writing room to write his own lines (or offer suggestions). I think the only other thing I watched him was his appearances in The West Wing. RIP.