Remembering Activist Matthew Perry and Comfort Character Chandler Bing 

Matthew Perry passed away this weekend at the age of 54. The American-Canadian actor is known primarily for his role as Chandler Bing on the famed sitcom ‘Friends,’ as well as his work with helping those plagued by addiction. His death has sparked memorials around the world to honor the late actor. 

The actor was found unresponsive in his hot tub on the night of October 28. The cause of death was unknown, and law enforcement officials are awaiting the results of the toxicology report, according to CBS News. 

“He’s been Chandler Bing to me for as long as I can remember. He also did a lot of work helping men fight their addictions as he was an addict himself,” says Natalie Anderson, UWM Student and ‘Friends’ fan. “‘Friends’ has always been a comfort show to me. When they took it off Netflix, I was distraught.”

“I think a lot of people connected with his character. He was the guy who couldn’t get the girl because he wasn’t cool enough or because someone else was hotter,” says Anderson. “A lot of people saw themselves in his character and the fact that he’s not around anymore is odd.”

Although the main cast has not released a statement on the recent tragedy, many other celebrities have taken to paying tribute. Pop singer Charlie Puth played the ‘Friends’ theme song at his show in Melbourne Sunday. Directly after the theme song, Puth played his hit ‘See You Again,’ which features lyrics about losing a friend. 

JAMS student Anna Oleniczak was attending a concert for indie-band, the 1975 at the Fiserv Forum when the news broke. The band became one of the many to pay in-concert tribute to the late actor. 

“When I found out the news, I was at a concert at Fiserv Forum, The 1975. Before the show began the band played the ‘Friends’ theme song to honor Perry. I think that his legacy as Chandler is important to so many people, that role will be infamous forever,” says Oleniczak, “For a long time, Friends was the show to watch. I’ve visited the set in California and seen how passionate myself and others are about the show. I’d like for people to honor his memory at those key locations. Since a majority of his fans can’t attend a funeral, they can go to public places that remind them of the tv show to pay their respects.”

In addition to his role on ‘Friends,’ Perry spent a lot of time in advocacy for recovering alcoholics. He wrote a memoir on the topic, titled ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,’ about his life and relationships. In the book, he opens up about his struggles with addiction, his time in the hospital, his sudden coma, and the effect these things had on those around him. The goal of the novel was to connect with people who might be struggling with something similar. He wrote, in part, “I can’t help but ask myself the overwhelming question: Why? Why am I alive? I have a hint to the answer, but it is not fully formed yet. It’s in the vicinity of helping people, I know that, but I don’t know how.” 

In the years after ‘Friends,’ Perry fought addiction for himself and for others. He became a spokesman for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. He was also awarded the Champion of Recovery Award by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2013, according to the Washington Post. Videos have been rampantly circulating on social media of Perry asking to be remembered not just as Chandler, but as an advocate, survivor, and healer for those in need of it. 

“I’ve seen the clips and the posts about his legacy and I think the majority of people will think ‘Oh, Chandler Bing died,’ or that he’s just that guy from ‘Friends,’’ says Anderson. “I think people are now seeing all the good work he’s done for the rehab and maybe they’ll get a chance to see the good he did in the world.” 

Whether remembered as Chandler Bing or as an advocate for addiction recovery, Matthew Perry was loved and cherished world wide, and his death is the cause of international grief. Perry believed that he had lived longer than he was ever meant to, and it seems that he took pride in that fact. He wrote, in part,

“I keep coming back to this singular, inescapable fact: I am alive. Given the odds, those three words are more miraculous than you might imagine; to me, they have an odd, shiny quality, like rocks brought back from a distant planet. No one can quite believe it,” wrote Perry. “It is very odd to live in a world where if you died, it would shock people but surprise no one.”

And to the fans of ‘Friends’ and the people whose lives he touched; Matthew Perry lives on.