Hot Trend/ Remembering Matthew 'Chandler Bing' Perry: The one FRIEND that embodied it all

Matthew Perry, most popular for playing the role of sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing in FRIENDS, passed away aged 54. One of TV's most popular character actors in the 90s and well through the early 2000s, Perry was part of the show which was instrumental in pioneering the popularity of the sitcom genre in India. He will be remembered for his well-timed quips and wry humour, which not only set him apart from his FRIENDS gang but also turned him into the most quotable character in the show, one who would also feature on their brand's merchandise the most.  

Perry was not just a valuable addition to the cast of the sitcom starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer, but also instrumental in how his character turned out to be on camera. By his own admittance, Chandler reflected real-life Perry.

He described reading the FRIENDS script for the first time in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. “It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life. One character in particular stood out to me: it wasn’t that I thought I could ‘play’ Chandler. I ‘was’ Chandler,” he described in it.

Perry worked in the writers' room and on camera to create the most likable of all characters in the show. While his fame witnessed a meteoric rise after he came onboard FRIENDS, never did a role after that bring him as much attention or acclaim as Chandler. For fans too, he will always be the quick-witted and insecure guy in the group, who stood out by his own merit and honesty about his own faults and shortcomings.

Perry's personal battles

In his memoir, too, Perry opened up extensively about his long and public struggle with addiction, writing at the beginning, “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

His personal battles were a well-kept secret, by his own admittance. “Friends was huge. I couldn’t jeopardize that. I loved the script. 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. I had a secret and no one could know,” he wrote in his memoir.

With his death due to accidental drowning, netizens have been hard at decoding a series of posts that they assume were hinting at the oncoming fatality. Unfortunately, a career and life highlighted by bringing laughter to people's lives was tragically cut short in a moment that only Perry and a few close to him could comprehend while many still come to terms with it.    

The impact of FRIENDS

Perry received one Emmy nomination for his FRIENDS role. At the peak of the show's popularity, which ran from 1994 until 2004, it won one Best Comedy Series Emmy Award in 2002. The cast notably banded together for later seasons to obtain a salary of $1 million per episode for each. The series was one of television’s biggest hits and has taken on a new life in recent years on streaming services. It has also found surprising popularity with younger fans.

Chandler in particular was the go-to guy for Monica and Joey- leading to the best two relationships in the show-- romantic and platonic. For fans, this is what made the character stand out. His humour and compassion, coupled with his ability to be "there for you" summed up the core idea of FRIENDS.

(With inputs from AP)