IN MEMORIAM
(1969 – 2023)
* Born on 19 August 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts, U.S.
* Was the son of American actor John Bennett Perry and Canadian journalist Suzanne Marie Morrison who served as the press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
* Parents separated when he was one.
* Was raised by his mother in Canada.
* Started misbehaving as a child and drinking alcohol at age 14.
* Became a top-ranked junior tennis player in Canada in his teens with the possibility of a professional tennis career, but then moved to live with his father in the U.S. where competition was tougher.
* Studied acting in his teens and took improvisational comedy classes.
* Made his screen debut as a child actor with a small role in the drama series 240-Robert (1979).
* Starred in the short-lived sitcoms Sydney (1990) and Home Free (1990).
* Earned global recognition after being cast in the sitcom Friends (1994 – 2004) which became a massive hit.
* Subsequently starred in series including Mr. Sunshine (2011), Go On (2012), The Odd Couple (2015 – 2017), and The Kennedys: After Camelot (2017), as well as movies like Fools Rush In (1997), Almost Heroes (1998), Three to Tango (1999), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Serving Sara (2002), The Whole Ten Yards (2005), and 17 Again (2009).
* Struggled with severe addictions issues, attending rehab several times and getting multiple surgeries stemming for drug and alcohol related issues.
* Passed away at the age of 54 on 28 October 2023.
* Justin Trudeau (JustinTrudeau): Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.
* Paget Brewster (pagetpaget): I’m so very sad to hear about MatthewPerry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.
* Morgan Fairchild (morgfair): I’m heartbroken about the untimely death of my “son”, Matthew Perry. The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I’m sending love and condolences to his friends and family, especially his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I worked with on Flamingo Road and Falcon Crest. #RIPMatthew
* Lisa Ann Walter (LisaAnnWalter): In The Whole Nine Yards, Matthew Perry runs full force into a patio door – that and the scene that followed is one of the top comedic moments I’ve witnessed.
I told him so when I recurred on The Odd Couple. He smiled so big I thought he’d crack his face.
It was beautiful.