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Friends creator Marta Kauffman has spoken out about Matthew Perry following the arrest of five people in connection to his accidental overdose death last October.
Perry, who was 54 at the time of his passing, was well-known for portraying the quirky, likable character Chandler Bing on Kauffman’s wildly successful series.
Speaking with The Times, the 67-year-old TV writer shared what she thinks is the best way to honor the late actor.
‘Two things come to mind: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centers — let’s fight the disease,’ she began.
Marta then added: ‘And the second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that, but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.’
Friends creator Marta Kauffman has spoken out about Matthew Perry following the arrest of five people in connection to his accidental overdose death last October; pictured in 2004
Perry was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his LA home with his cause of death later determined to be ‘the acute effects of ketamine’; pictured in November 2022
Kauffman also spoke publicly about Perry with her Friends co-creator David Crane last year.
In a joint appearance on the Today show, she shared the final communication they had with the star.
She remembered, ‘It was great. He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.’
On Thursday, August 15 — days before what would have been Matthew’s 55th birthday — it was announced that five people have been charged in connection with his death.
Among them were two doctors and Perry’s personal assistant, who lived with him.
The Department of Justice named Jasveen Sangha — known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ — and Dr. Salvador Plascencia as the two doctors.
Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, plus Erik Fleming and Dr. Mark Chavez were also charged.
United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement, ‘These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well being.’
Perry, who was 54 at the time of his passing, was well-known for portraying the quirky, likable character Chandler Bing on Kauffman’s wildly successful series; pictured on the sitcom in 1994
The cast and creators of Friends celebrating their 150th episode in 2000
The actor’s last social media picture, eerily taken in the tub where he spent his final moments, was shared five days prior to his death
On the day of his death, October 28, 2023, Perry had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball before sending his assistant out on an errand.
When the person returned, Perry was said to have been found unresponsive in his hot tub.
Perry garnered an international fanbase for his role as Chandler on Friends, which also earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002.
Behind the scenes, he secretly battled substance abuse for decades, which he detailed in his book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, published in November 2022.
