Matthew's TRAGIC FINAL DAYS

Loved ones are left reeling after Matthew Perry - who'd seemed both healthy and happy-passes away at the age of 54

In a 2022 interview, Matthew Perry discussed how he'd like to be remembered for his work with people battling addiction. "When I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned," he said. "I want [helping people] to be the first thing... and I'm gonna live the rest of my life proving that." Tragically, the rest of his life would be just 11 months.

Matthew died of an apparent drowning in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28. He was only 54 years old. "His death shocked everyone; it's the last thing they imagined, because Matthew was happy and doing so well," says an insider, who adds that his Friends costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer- took the loss especially hard. "They thought they had many more years with him."