Friends star Matthew Perry dead at 54: Fans left in shock as they flock to pay tribute

Matthew Perry’s legion of fans have been left shocked by his tragic passing, with many of them taking to social media to pay tribute to the late Friends star.

According to TMZ, Matthew was found unresponsive in his home in LA after an apparent drowning.

The 54-year-old actor was reportedly found in the jacuzzi after engaging in a “2-hour round of pickleball” earlier in the day. No foul play was involved, the publication reports.

Tributes have begun to flow for the late actor online, with many fans taking to Twitter and Instagram to share their sorrow.

Matthew Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on all 10 seasons of Friends.

The series was beloved by millions of fans worldwide, with all the main cast members reuniting in 2021 for a reunion special.

In recent years, Perry had begun to open up about his health battles which ranged from pancreatitis to alcohol and opioid addiction.

He documented his struggle with addiction and an intense desire to please audiences in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

"Friends was huge. I couldn't jeopardise that. I loved my co-actors. I loved the scripts. I loved everything about the show but I was struggling with my addictions which only added to my sense of shame," he wrote.

"I had a secret and no one could know.

"I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn't laugh, and that's not healthy for sure. But I could sometimes say a line and the audience wouldn't laugh and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions," Perry wrote.

"If I didn't get the laugh I was supposed to get, I would freak out. I felt that every single night. This pressure left me in a bad place. I also knew of the six people making that show, only one of them was sick."

With AAP

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