It’s been nearly two years since Matthew Perry died at his LA home and one of his Friends co-stars has shared a sign she received shortly after his death.
Perry, who made his name playing the sarcastic but lovable Chandler Bing on the hit US sitcom Friends, was found unresponsive in his pool on October 28, 2023.
Shortly after the 54-year-old was pronounced dead with a post-mortem later ruling his death an accident from the ‘acute effects of ketamine’.
The star’s untimely death sent shockwaves through Hollywood with friends, colleagues, and fans each paying tribute in turn to a wonderfully funny man.
Now, though, Maggie Wheeler – who played Chandler’s long-time on-off girlfriend, Janice – has opened up about a ‘beautiful’ experience she had following Perry’s death while appearing on an episode of the Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko podcast.
Wheeler, who explained to Kmetko that her brother also died of an overdose, said: ‘Lots of people talk about spirits showing up as birds and other things that kind of send a message when someone passes.’
‘After Matthew died, I was in a neighbour’s pool, and I was alone, and there was nobody else around. I was on my back, and I was thinking about my brother, and I said, “Look out for him” and two hawks flew over my head and flew past me.’
‘One circled around and came and got the other one, and it flew past me. So that was a beautiful moment if you go for that kind of stuff.’
Speaking candidly about Perry’s struggles with addiction Wheeler added she was heartbroken that he never made it out of the ‘incredibly dark tunnel’ he was in for so long.
‘In Matthew’s case, he seemed to have turned a corner,’ she said. ‘Things seem to have been going well in certain kinds of ways. There’s just that feeling of like the rug being pulled out.’
Perry was very open about his substance abuse problems, writing about them extensively in his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
After his death, The Matthew Perry Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping those struggling with the disease of addiction, was established.
The foundation’s website claims the group is ‘guided by Perry’s own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible.’
After Perry’s death, his Friends castmates – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer – who he worked with across ten years, released a joint statement to People.com expressing their devastation at Matthew’s loss.
‘We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,’ the statement read. ‘There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.’
‘In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.’
On August 15, 2024, five individuals, including Perry’s personal assistant, were charged in connection with his death.
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