Matthew Perry made us laugh and broke Millennials’ hearts
Chandler Bing was an iconic character that turned self-deprecation and sarcasm into personality traits for generations of Friends fans.
The One Where Chandler dies has happened. Matthew Perry is dead.
Could this BE anymore devastating for a generation of viewers who came of age during a time before streaming, before 9/11 and before writers and actors were more focused on making enjoyable, mainstream comedy than worrying about getting cancelled.
The death of the Friends star is a watershed moment for millennials, that generation’s version of the death of a Beatle.
Perry, 54, was found dead in an apparent drowning, according to LA police, at his home at the weekend.
The undisputed comic backbone of the Friends franchise, Perry and his iconic Chandler Bing character made sarcasm and self-deprecation fashionable and funny.
Next year will mark 30 years since the follow-up to the original show about nothing starring a group of platonic mates – Seinfeld – aired.
When Friends launched in 1994 about six hapless (relatively unknown) mates fumbling their way through adulthood, spending more time drinking coffee than working to afford their plush New York apartments, it was revelatory for many reasons.
Representation back then wasn’t a concept (especially with an all-white cast) but in the first season alone we saw homosexuality enter the zeitgeist in a way that was treated with genuine respect, even though the storyline was that Ross (David Schwimmer) had married a lesbian without realising it.
He wore the jokes, not the female characters, many of them delivered by Chandler.
Perry – via Chandler – appeared to revel in the laughs he generated from the live studio audience. The riskier the scripts, the more he thrived.
Chandler was the son of a “cross-dressing” father who made a cameo via Kathleen Turner in 2001, started acting “like a woman” when he used hypnotherapy to quit smoking, and once pretended to “move to Yemen” for work to escape a girlfriend rather than break up with her.
His portrayal of the “snide-aside guy” gave rise to a trope of comedy that continues to be the most popular and hilarious elements to ensemble TV shows. Chandler did caustic humour so David from Schitt’s Creek (played by Dan Levy) could roll his eyes and earn Emmy cred.
Perry’s delivery and comedic timing on the sitcom also transcended genres, even making the crossover into drama, with characters with Chandler Bing elements written in to provide relief to serious scripts and plots.
Who remembers Seth Cohen’s (Adam Brody) one-liners from The OC? Or Pacey’s (Joshua Jackson) wit from then other iconic teen drama Dawson’s Creek?
Perry poked fun at himself and punched up so these guys could perform.
Yet Chandler’s antihero arch – going from a smoker who was bullied into quitting by the same friends who also didn’t know what he did for work – to Monica’s doting husband and father to their twins masked the personal pain Perry carried with him.
By the time he was 49, he had spent more than half his life in treatment clinics or “sober living” facilities, just one of the startling and troubling admissions from his recent memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
It is a witty but grimly graphic account of Perry’s seemingly life-long booze, opioid and other drug addictions, written as if he was still in character with Chandler’s trademark acerbity.
In some parts, Perry signalled to readers his book was part biography/part memoir as during some of his lowest chapters in his life, “I was no longer there”.
His addictions led to a medical odyssey that included pneumonia, an exploded colon, a brief stint on life support, two weeks in a coma, nine months with a colostomy bag and more than 10 stomach surgeries.
Some of Matthew Perry’s best jokes on Friends as Chandler Bing pic.twitter.com/84dk8yZtKc
— ScreenTime (@screentime) October 29, 2023
Perry’s life was riddled with darkness, as was his brilliant comedy. “Hi, I’m Chandler. I make jokes when I’m uncomfortable,” was his first line on Friends.
Perry will not be remembered for his private demons, which made his co-stars worry about his wellbeing even after the cameras stopped rolling in 2004.
His legacy will be Chandler’s observational humour, which turned him into a man and character better known for taking the piss and punching up.
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In 2015 Matthew Perry shared why 'Friends' was the happiest time of his life. Matthew tragically passed away on Saturday. He was 54. pic.twitter.com/BxfwFnIwnZ
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) October 29, 2023
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