Friends star Matthew Perry dies age 54 as world pays tribute to beloved Chandler Bing actor

Friends co-stars Maggie Wheeler and Morgan Fairchild have remembered Matthew Perry for the joy he “brought to so many” following his “shock” death age 54.

The actor, who became a superstar playing funnyman Chandler Bing during 10 seasons of the US hit comedy Friends, died after an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home, US outlets have reported.

Wheeler, who played Perry’s on-off girlfriend Janice Hosenstein during the early series of the TV show and often appeared to perform her catchphrase “Oh! My! God!”, paid tribute to Perry on Instagram.

“What a loss,” Wheeler captioned a picture of the pair.

“The world will miss you Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on.“I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”

Meanwhile Fairchild, who played Perry’s on-screen mother and erotic novel writer Nora Bing, said on Twitter: “I’m heartbroken about the untimely death of my ‘son’, Matthew Perry.”

The 73-year-old US actress added: “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.”

Perry, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Friends, starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox – who played Perry’s on-screen wife Monica Geller.

The actors reunited on screen for the first time in 2021 after the show ended its celebrated 10-year run in 2004, having become a pop culture phenomenon.

Perry’s other notable TV work includes the short-lived Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, written by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, while he also starred in several films, including