Matthew Perry was undoubtedly most well-known for his role as Chandler Bing in hit sitcom FRIENDS. Keeping that in mind when Perry passed away in October 2023, it came as a huge shock to his massive fan following.
As of now, Perry’s official cause of death is viewed as drowning in his hot tub. It was truly a tragic way to leave the world at just 54 years of age. While the entire world was mourning Perry’s death, actor Sean Penn wasn’t surprised by the FRIENDS star’s death.
Sean Penn’s Controversial Statement About Matthew Perry’s Death
Sean Penn is widely regarded as an extremely talented actor. After all, the 63-year-old has two Academy Awards for best actor under his belt. Penn also made a guest appearance in FRIENDS in 2001. Penn played the role of Eric in two episodes of the popular TV show.
Anyway, Penn stirred controversy after his comments about Perry’s death in an interview with Piers Morgan. Penn pointed out that he wasn’t surprised with his co-star’s death due to his history of drug abuse during an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored.
It’s tragic. I can’t say I was very surprised. I don’t know what the coroner’s report says and all that, but I know he’d done a lot of organ damage over the years.
(Starts at 0:54)
“It's tragic, I can't say that I was terribly surprised."
Sean Penn speaks to Piers Morgan about the death of his Friends co-star Matthew Perry, whom he describes as “a talented guy”.
Watch more on tonight's show at 8pm (UK).@piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/koJZbsqlGi
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 22, 2023
During his time on the set of FRIENDS, Perry was in and out of rehab. But after years of battling his alcohol and Vicodin addiction, Perry was 100% sober for the past few years.
In fact, even at the time of his death, it was confirmed that Perry wasn’t under the influence of any type of drugs. All things considered, Perry’s untimely death will forever leave a scar on the hearts of his fanbase.
Sean Penn Says Matthew Perry Was a Talented Actor
While Sean Penn didn’t mince his words about Matthew Perry’s tragic death, he had no intentions of insulting the late Hollywood star. In fact, in the same interview with Piers Morgan, Penn pointed out that Perry was a tremendously talented actor.
What a talented guy. I can’t claim to knowing him well, but I liked him very much. I saw him somewhat recently when we were both catching a flight at Los Angeles airport.
Penn mentioned that he complimented Perry about his book, FRIENDS, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. It was a memoir which dived deep into the life of the FRIENDS star. Considering Perry was nothing but honest in the book, it received nothing but positive reviews from fans.
Perry will never be forgotten for his epic job in FRIENDS. It’s only obvious that millions of fans must be rewatching the series right now, but one thing is vastly different. Most will be holding back tears when Perry will appear on the screen.
