Matthew Perry‘s cause of death has been “deferred” following his initial autopsy.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the results were determined to be inconclusive pending a toxicology report. Further investigation into the cause of Perry’s death has been requested.
Perry died at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 28, at age 54. Authorities reportedly responded to a call of someone going into cardiac arrest, and Perry was found in his hot tub. There were no signs of foul play at the scene.
The actor’s family addressed his “tragic” death in a statement on Sunday, October 29, noting that they’re “heartbroken” by the loss. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love,” the statement continued.
Perry was best known for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on Friends, which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. The sitcom’s cocreators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, were among the many Hollywood figures to mourn Perry’s death.
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives,” the colleagues noted in a joint statement with executive producer Kevin Bright on Sunday. “He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words.”
The trio continued: “From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
Perry starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc on the beloved series. While many of his former costars have yet to speak out publicly in the wake of his death, Friends alum Maggie Wheeler honored Perry with a heartfelt tribute on Saturday.
“What a loss. The world will miss you, Matthew Perry,” she wrote via Instagram, sharing a photo of the twosome on set. “The joy you brought to so many in your too-short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”
Wheeler, 62, portrayed Chandler’s on-off love interest Janice during the early seasons of Friends. As his star continued to rise on the series, Perry struggled with addiction behind the scenes.
Perry went to rehab for the first time in 1997 and had a second stint in 2001. He wrote candidly about his ups and downs in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. While promoting his book in October 2022, Perry told The New York Times that he had been in recovery for about 18 months, which indicated that he was newly sober when the Friends cast gathered for a reunion special in April 2021.
Kudrow, 60, wrote the foreword of Perry’s book and recalled “hopelessly standing on the sidelines” while her costar struggled. “Hard doesn’t even begin to describe it. … I love Matthew a lot. We’re part of a family,” she told the Times. “I’m basically ending this with ‘I’ll be there for you’ [the Friends theme song], but it’s true. I’ll always be there for him.”
