Friendsfans came together to not only mourn the life ofMatthew Perryas an actor, but also like a “family” member on Sunday.
The morning after the famed actordied from an apparent drowningat age 54, hundreds of admirers from around the world braved the rainy New York City weather to pay tribute at the apartment building where hisFriendscharacterChandler Binglived.
Along the streetlight at the corner of the building, located in Manhattan’s West Village,Perry’s life was honoredwith flowers, heartful handwritten notes and even gum packs in reference to one of Chandler’s iconic lines — “You know on second thought,gum would be perfection” — in a scene with modelJill Goodacre.
‘Friends’ fans mourn Matthew Perry in New York City.Jenna Wang
Jenna Wang
When N.Y.C. residents Mayya and Khristian Bork arrived, they instantly grew emotional while gazing up at the six-story residence of their beloved character.
Perry’s death was like “losing a dear friend” for the Russian natives, both of whom moved to the U.S. without knowing any English.
To learn the language, Khristian said he turned to the sitcom show for guidance.
“I didn’t have time or money to go to school, so I was watchingFriendson repeat twenty-four-seven while working,” Khristian recalled. “I would draw and in the background, listen toFriendsfor three years every single day."
The 35-year-old artist watched the 10-season show so often that he could quote any line from any episode. But more significant is how much Khristian “related” to Perry’s character, according to his wife, Mayya.
“Part of him just died,” Mayya, 34, said of her husband’s emotional reactionto the news. “I think that’s why it’s so hard on Khristian right now, because he likes to make jokes every day and he makes me laugh.”
“[Watching Friends] is how I got my American sense of humor because I’m from a very different, more conservative country,” Khristian added.
The couple both agreed that the Emmy-nominated actor’s death was “very sudden” — especially in light of how “great” he looked while on tour topromote his memoir,Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
In the 2022 memoir, the author got candid about his time in the spotlight, hishigh-profile romancesandhis long journey with drug and alcohol addiction.
“I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again,“he exclusively told PEOPLE in his 2022 cover story.“I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober — and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. And the main thing was,I was pretty certain that it would help people.”
Matthew Perry.Newsmakers/Getty
Newsmakers/Getty
While at his book tour stop in the winter of last year, the Borks thought that Perry did exactly what he sought to accomplish.
“He was so excited to spread the awareness of addiction and all the stuff that he went through,” Mayya said. “He wanted to help people, so it seemed like he was on a new page of his life.”
Less than a year later, when the couple read the news of Perry’s passing while listening to the lateGene Wilder’s“Pure Imagination,”they believed the actor was in a good place.
“Friendswas a staple of my life growing up in Kentucky,” Cates said. “It was just one of the shows we always had on as a family, so it was a big inspiration for me to wind up moving here.”
Cates had visited theFriendsbuilding before, so upon hearing news of Perry’s death, he knew he would have to pay his respects at the Greenwich residence again.
“It makes me really sad that if we’re going to lose one of them, it was him first, after everything that he did,” Cates said of his journey watching the actor’s ups and downs. “I’m 37, so [54] doesn’t feel that far off. You just never know.”
What Cates will remember most of the late actor is not his career highs and lows, but how theFools Rush Instar made him “laugh so much.”
“His little quips, the delivery of his comedic lines — his timing was so perfect,” Cates said. “When I try to be funny, I think about delivery perfection and how you do it and the way it’s done. I think about him often, because he was the master at it.”
Like Cates, the Patterson family also describes Perry’s comedy as “timeless.”
As longtimeFriendsfans of nearly 25 years, the United Kingdom natives, who coincidentally “arrived in New York yesterday” for a family vacation, reflected on Perry’s portrayal of Chandler with nostalgia.
“When I think aboutFriendsand Chandler Bing and Matthew Perry, it takes me straight back to being in university,” Patterson, 46, said.
Her sister also recalls the show with a similar fondness. “I think you grow up with that sort of person in your bedroom when you’re getting ready for school,” Plumpton, 40, mused.
The sisters had always hoped for afuture cast reunion, but now know that should it ever occur, it won’t look the same.
“There’s always that hope as aFriendsfan that they’ll do something in the future,” Plumpton said. “We’re never really going to get that — and if we do, it won’t be proper, will it?”
However, the show’s evergreen sense of humor and friendship still links Patterson’s past with her future, now that she re-watches every episode with her daughter.
“She loves it,” Patterson said with a nod to her 15-year-old daughter. “It doesn’t matter that she’s 31 years younger than me — we can enjoy the same thing because it creates a connection. All the characters were connected, and now we’re connected because of that. It’s a generational thing and goes on through the family.”
“I laugh at the jokes, she laughs at the jokes,” Patterson continues. “It’s timeless, so I think we’ll all still be watchingFriendsin another 30 year’s time.”
Despite the sitcom’s success, Patterson still recognizes that Perry will always be remembered in ways beyond his time onFriends.
“He was amazing because it wasn’t just aboutFriends,” Patterson said. “It’s everything else he did. Everything that he did for people like him with addiction issues was amazing.”
“His life will be celebrated for years to come,” she added. “Tens of decades to come.”
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In anexclusive statement to PEOPLE, Perry’s family shared a message with the late actor’s supporters.
source: people.com
