Matthew Perry, best known for his role on the hit US sitcom Friends, has died of an apparent drowning at his home.
The Friends star was 54 years old.
At 4.07 p.m. local time (12.07 a.m. UK time), Los Angeles Police received a 911 call.
The incident at the star’s Pacific Palisades home in LA was treated as a water rescue, a police source said.
According to The LA Times and TMZ, Perry died in a hot tub, or Jacuzzi.
There was no apparent foul play and no confirmed cause of death. An investigation is ongoing.
Perry was open about his past addictions to prescription drugs and alcohol.
He shot to fame for his role on the 1990s sitcom Friends, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer.
The hit show followed the close-knit group living in New York, with Perry playing Chandler Bing, who became known for his use of sarcastic one-liners.
The show ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, with a reunion special in 2021.
Around a year ago, Perry embarked on a press tour for the release of his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.
He spoke about his battle with addiction, including a near-death experience in 2019 after his colon burst as a result of opioid use.
Matthew recalled one instance when Aniston confronted him about being inebriated while filming.
“I know you’re drinking,” he remembered her telling him.
“We can smell it,” she said in what Perry called a “kind of weird but loving way,” adding, “The plural ‘we’ hit me like a sledgehammer.”
Posting on social media, she wrote, “I feel so blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Actor and author Selma Blair also posted a tribute with the caption, “My oldest friend.”
The star, who appeared in the 1999 drama Cruel Intentions and the film Legally Blonde, wrote that she was “broken-hearted” and loved Perry “unconditionally”.
In a statement, NBC Entertainment, which aired Friends, confirmed Perry’s death, saying, “We are incredibly saddened by the too-soon passing of Matthew Perry. He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch-perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations.”
Actor Octavia Spencer and presenter Piers Morgan also paid tribute to Perry, with Spencer writing, “His gift to the world will be remembered forever.”
Born in Massachusetts, Perry was raised in Ottawa, Canada, and moved to LA to pursue an acting career at the age of 15, joining the cast of Friends at the age of 24.
He received one Emmy nomination for his role as Chandler and another two for appearances on the political drama television series The West Wing.
Perry had several other notable film roles, starring opposite Salma Hayek in the 1997 romantic comedy Fools Rush In and alongside Bruce Willis in the 2004 crime comedy The Whole Nine Yards.
In 2021, Perry appeared alongside his Friends co-stars for a reunion special.
The original cast members participated in a James Corden-hosted event where they visited old sets, such as the Central Perk coffee shop, reenacted some scenes, and talked about the future of their characters’ plots.
Before acting, Perry was a top-ranked junior tennis player in Canada. He used to play for up to 10 hours a day, according to Tennis Canada.
