Matthew Perry Passes Away At 54 Years Old

SOURCE - Matthew Perry -- one of the stars of 'Friends' -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the actor was found Saturday at an L.A.-area home ... where we're told he appears to have drowned. Our sources say first-responders rushed over on a call for cardiac arrest. It's unclear where exactly on the grounds this happened.

Our sources say he was found in a jacuzzi at the home ... and we're told there were no drugs found at the scene. We're also told there is no foul play involved.

For any fan of Friends, this is awful news. Matthew Perry was an incredibly talented and funny guy whose life and career had been derailed by years of drug addiction. It had also created numerous health issues of late including a five month hospital stint in 2018 after his colon burst due to opioid use.

He was in the news last year after putting out an autobiography which detailed these struggles where he was very open with that battle.

SOURCE - Perry said his addiction to various pills has resulted in 14 surgeries so far on his stomach, adding, “That’s a lot of reminders to stay sober. All I have to do is look down.”

An encounter with his therapist also made it clear to Perry that he needs to keep sober. “My therapist said, ‘The next time you think about taking Oxycontin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life,'” the actor said. “And a little window opened and I crawled through it, and I no longer want Oxycontin anymore.”

All of this is incredibly sad but let's not look past how funny and talented Perry was. He was consistently hysterical on Friends and to be the "funny" one on the biggest comedy in the world is quite a challenge. He consistently delivered.

He had dramatic chops too. In 2006, there were two shows on NBC that debuted at the same time that were both about the backstage of an SNL-type show. One was 30 Rock which became a long running hit. But at the time, the show that most people were excited about was the Aaron Sorkin-led Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. This starred Matthew Perry and was his first show post-Friends. 

It only lasted one season and wound up being overshadowed by 30 Rock but I liked this show better. It had a great cast (Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, DL Hughley, Sarah Paulson) and was so well crafted. Perry played the head writer and was fantastic.

After this show, he was on a few more including Go On and The Odd Couple remake. I always thought his talent deserved a lot more but he wasn't alone in the Friends cast to struggle to find another great role after the show ended. 

He did have some success on the big screen too. The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis is an entertaining movie that was number one for three straight weekends when it opened in 2000. But his addiction issues caused problems with his movie career as well. The shoot of Fools Rush In had to be stopped in the middle of production so Perry could go to rehab. He was also supposed to be in Don't Look Up a couple of years ago but had to pull out of that movie after he had eight of his ribs broken after his heart stopped while in rehab.

SOURCE - Perry writes he was in too much pain to continue with Don’t Look Up and had to pull out of the film. Calling the decision “heartbreaking,” Perry never got to film with Meryl Streep — and ultimately, the one scene Perry did manage to film didn’t make the movie’s final cut. 

Matthew Perry will be remembered as a master of comic timing on one of the biggest television shows of all-time. I'm sure others will look at his life as a cautionary tale. He'll be an example that no amount of fame, good looks or talent can save you from the perils of addiction. But I see him as a lot more than that. His honesty in his biography has been said to help addicts going through the same battle. I always admired his ability to seem human and real in the face of these struggles. It speaks volumes that his Friends castmates always seemed to have his back even long after the show was over.

He took this picture with his dad last week and it made a little news because they don't take a ton of public photos. 

It's a very nice picture but it was a quote in the article that I saw in the write up of the photo that struck me then as hopeful but now is impossibly sad.

SOURCE - Last year, Matthew opened up about wanted to be a father one day himself. 

“I think I’d be great. I really do,” he told People. “I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”

As for love, he added: “I’m not run by the fear I used to be run by so everything’s kind of different. I’m feeling more confident and I’m not afraid of love anymore, so the next girl I go out with better watch out.

Life is short. Never let it be run by fear. RIP Matthew Perry