Matthew Perry, the actor best known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” tragically died this weekend, aged 54. According to TMZ, he drowned on Saturday morning, with first responders finding him in a jacuzzi in his home. The entertainment world has been in shock since the news came to light, and some notable figures within the wrestling community have paid their respects to the “Friends” star.
Many WWE Superstars and personalities are fans of the actor, including Kayla Braxton, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her sadness about his death. “Omg Matthew Perry!?! What! This is so sad. This feels like a personal loss,” she wrote. Nikki Cross, meanwhile, shared a thread of some of the actor’s most inspirational quotes and writing. Alexa Bliss and Carmella, meanwhile, both posted memorials for the “Friends” star on their respective Instagram stories.
Elsewhere, Bayley took to her X platform and highlighted her appreciation of Perry’s most famous sitcom character, writing, “Ms. Chanandelor Bong forever,” followed by a love heart emoji. This is a reference to the “Friends” episode “The One with the Embryos,” which reveals Chandler has been receiving a TV Guide that’s addressed to the aforementioned name.
Mick Foley’s “Friends” fandom is also well-documented. The WWE Hall of Famer has been vocal about his love for Chandler’s on-again, off-again love interest Janice Hosenstein, so it’s unsurprising to learn that Perry’s famous sitcom character resonated with him.
“RIP MATTHEW PERRY. I am really so sorry to hear of the death of actor Matthew Perry. I am such a big fan of Friends (I’ve been wearing a Friends shirt the past two days) and Perry’s Chandler Bing character was the one I identified with most,” Foley wrote on X. “My heart goes out to his family, friends and his many fans.”
More reactions to Matthew Perry’s death
Matthew Perry’s fans in other wrestling promotions were also shocked to learn about his tragic passing. As such, they took to their social media platforms to pass on their sentiments and detail their shocked reactions to the news.
AEW and Ring of Honor star Leila Grey — a member of the popular Baddies faction before it was disbanded after Jade Cargill joined WWE — shared a photo of the news report confirming his death on her Instagram story. This was accompanied by the caption, “OH NOOOOOOO,” followed by crying and heartbreak emojis. A similar sentiment was echoed by Cassie Lee, formerly known as Peyton Royce in WWE, who reacted to the heartbreaking news on X by sharing the same emojis used by Grey.
Matthew Perry never stepped into a wrestling ring, nor was he associated with the industry. However, he impacted and influenced the entire entertainment world, as evidenced by the reaction to his death from professional wrestlers, actors, sports stars, and more. That’s to be expected, though, as the actor leaves behind a rich body of work that includes entertaining movies and television roles.
Matthew Perry’s body of work
Matthew Perry is primarily known for playing Chandler Bing, the most sarcastic member of the core group of characters on “Friends.” The sharp-witted friend was key to some of the show’s most memorable moments, including when he proposed to Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox), further establishing the pair as a beloved sitcom couple.
Of course, Perry had a noteworthy career outside of “Friends” as well. He starred alongside Bruce Willis in the hit comedy “The Whole Nine Yards,” as well as its sequel, “The Whole Ten Yards,” in which he plays a dentist who gets entangled with a hitman. However, fans of teen movies might associate him with “17 Again,” which saw him team up with Zac Efron and play the older version of a guy who gets to relive his final year of high school.
Elsewhere, Perry received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles on “The West Wing” and “The Ron Clark Story.” His other small-screen credits include “Ally McBeal” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” a short-lived comedy series from Aaron Sorkin that bears some similarities to “30 Rock” as they both take place in the world of late-night comedy.
Perry was also a known philanthropist who supported several charitable causes. As documented by The Independent, he founded Perry House to help recovering addicts get back on their feet. In 2015, he was awarded by Phoenix House, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, for his efforts in helping others. Perry’s legacy is that of someone who entertained fans with his on-screen roles and used his platform to aid people and worthwhile causes, and he’ll be sorely missed.
