Real estate developer snaps up Matthew Perry home
The buyer of Friends star Matthew Perry’s home has been revealed.
The new owner of the home where Matthew Perry died has broken her silence, vowing to ‘honour’ the “Friends” star’s lasting legacy.
The Los Angeles house in Pacific Palisades sold almost exactly one year after Perry died in October, fetched $8.55m (A$12.8m), according to The New York Times.
In an Instagram post shared last week, Anita Verma-Lallian, a film producer and real estate developer, revealed she is the home’s new owner.
“We are so excited to share that we bought a home in Los Angeles earlier this month! Our agent, Brooke Elliot, said she had an amazing ‘off-market’ property that she really wanted us to see,” Verma-Lallian captioned her post.
RELATED: Matthew Perry sold $55m in property, was ‘very lonely’ before death
Meet the celebrities who made careers out of selling real estate
The post, which featured Verma-Lallian posing next to the pool where Perry’s body was found, drew some criticism from fans of the Friends star.
”No hate or anything but did you have to take pics of the EXACT spot he was found,” one person wrote.
“Don’t be taking pictures by the pool and posting them on socials for likes because it comes across as a bit sick,” another said.
But, speaking about the home’s future, Verma-Lallian revealed plans to make some changes to the property while honouring Perry’s legacy, including keeping the “Batman” logo on the floor of the pool.
“We do plan to keep some of the design elements. The batman logo in the pool is definitely staying,” she wrote, adding a laughing face emoji and a prayer hands emoji.
“It’s a piece of paradise that is filled with light and the perfect vacation home for us. Can’t wait to make new memories in it.”
The movie producer added that the home’s connection to Perry’s passing did not impact her decision.
“As a real estate developer myself, I believe every property has a history that we may or may not know about, and every home carries the energy that the current owner brings to it,” she wrote
Of Perry, she said, “We chose to honour the positive aspects of the previous owner’s life, his immense talent, and all the joy he brought to so many people.
“The decision to purchase the home had nothing to do with the previous owner, just our love of the home.”
Mr Perry had been found dead at his Los Angeles home in an apparent drowning accident, sending shockwaves through Hollywood.
It was later revealed by the Los Angeles County medical examiner Mr Perry’s death was caused by the “acute effects of ketamine,” and that the actor also had opioids in his system.
The Friends star bought the Pacific Palisades for US$6m in 2020 and added extensive renovations to the property, including a pool installation that features a red LED-lit bat signal at the floor of the pool.
Ms Verma-Lallian purchased the property off market and paid US$8.55m through a trust.
This deal comes as another home that had been purchased by Matthew Perry last year, just months before he died, was on the market.
MORE: Sofia Vergara ends final chapter with ex Joe Manganiello
Modest by Hollywood standards, the mid-century modern abode changed hands in May 2023 for US$4.99m (A$7.53m) in what has been described as an off-market deal, according to Realtor.
Before his death, the actor had been involved in several real estate transactions.
He also sold a beachfront Malibu retreat for US$13.1m in 2021.
That same year, he let go of his massive penthouse property in Los Angeles for US$21.6m.
Parts of this story first appeared in the New York Post and were republished with permission.
Sign up to the Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest property market news delivered direct to your inbox.
RELATED: Sad reality as Aus Bachelor cops another blow
$26bn and counting: what’s behind King Charles’ mind-blowing wealth
Rare three-home quirk of Blairgowrie treehouse compound
Originally published as Real estate developer snaps up Matthew Perry home
What Sydney prices buy in Darwin
The average cost of a house in Sydney has soared to more than $1.4m but what will that get you in the Darwin property market?
Melbourne family turns carpark into payday
An off-street carpark has made a Melbourne family’s house hot property for families and tradies working on nearby projects. Find out how they’re cashing in.
$3b lotto winner’s LA fire disaster laid bare
A man who won a staggering pile of cash has been left devastated after the deadly LA firestorm claimed his prized home.