The Cruelty of Stardom

R.I.P. Matthew Perry

Actor Matthew Perry has died at the age of 54. Since this was announced yesterday there has been a huge outpouring of grief from fans the world over who loved him as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends, which ran for ten years (1994-2004) and earned him awards, accolades and millions of dollars many times over. Despite all that, Perry battled addiction to alcohol and painkillers for much of his adult life. In his later years he dedicated himself to helping others battling addiction, and for a time turned his Malibu home into a sober living facility called The Perry House.

Chandler Bing might have been everyone's favorite character on Friends; he was certainly mine. Self-effacing and sarcastic, he was a successful Everyman, despite being well above average in looks and wit. The fact that he died relatively young has shocked the entertainment world and touched a nerve with many of his fans, most of whom are likely his same age today.

So it was especially gruesome when Kevin Brennan, a failed comedian and former writer for NBC's long-running sketch show Saturday Night Live, posted several incredibly cruel comments just a day after Perry's death. Maybe he thought he was being funny when he posted on Instagram, "I love it when junkies die," but I guess that's why he's no longer employed as a comedy writer.  He also wrote, "Hahaha" about Perry drowning in a hot tub, explaining that he found it funny because "a hot tub isn't very deep." So he's ignorant as well, since people can drown in a foot of water.

It's grievous that the dark soul of Kevin Brennan walks among us while the bright light of Matthew Perry has been extinguished. The good news is that the endearing Chandler Bing lives on in reruns: just this morning I watched a couple of episodes of Friends and he made my day.