'Friends' actress Maggie Wheeler mourns Matthew Perry

May 2024 · 3 minute read

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Maggie Wheeler — who played Matthew Perry’s on-again, off-again love interest on “Friends” — is among the celebrities mourning Perry following his death Saturday at 54.

“What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry (sic),” Wheeler, 62, wrote Saturday on Instagram. “The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”

Wheeler played the nasally, high-pitched Janice Hosenstein, who dated Perry’s Chandler Bing a few times throughout “Friends'” 10-year run before Bing ultimately ended up with Courteney Cox’s Monica Geller.

Wheeler told Page Six earlier this year it was “difficult” to read Perry’s 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” which delved into his long battles with alcohol, opioids and cocaine.

Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice Hosenstein on “Friends,” poses on the famous Central Perk couch during the Friends 25th Anniversary New York City Pop-Up press preview on Sept. 5, 2019. AFP/Getty Images
Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on Nov. 17, 2022. He died Saturday. Getty Images for GQ

“I think he’s done a tremendous job and he’s really survived the unthinkable,” Wheeler told Page Six in January. “And I’m so proud of him and I’m so happy he’s here and I think it’s very brave that he’s written a book and he’s out talking about it, he’s really helping a lot of people.”

Wheeler added: “He showed up for work even when he was in his darkest place, he showed up for work with all his humor and brilliance and talent. There was never a day working on set with him where I felt insecure about how he was going to participate in the process, he was 100%, even when he was struggling.”

Early reports say Perry died of accidental drowning in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home.

Several Hollywood stars took to social media to offer their condolences and remembrances.

“Oh no!!! Matthew Perry!! You sweet, troubled soul!! May you find peace and happiness in Heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit!!!” Mira Sorvino, 56, tweeted.

“RIP Matthew Perry, 54. The Friends star was a great actor, but by his own admission, a very tormented guy. His recent autobiography about his addiction-ravaged life was one of the most powerful, honest and revealing I’ve ever read. Such sad news,” Piers Morgan, 58, wrote on X.

“My oldest boy friend. All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams,” Selma Blair, 51, captioned a photo of themselves on Instagram.

Perry played Chandler Bing on “Friends,” which aired from 1994 to 2004 and has found new life on Netflix and HBO Max.
Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Perry as Chandler Bing (front l-r) Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green in “Friends” Season 1. The NBC sitcom aired from 1994 to 2004. NBCUniversal via Getty Images

“Our friendship spanned a long time. A lifetime really. I know many are hurting, especially our little gang. He will be missed by many and definitely by us,” Shannen Doherty, 52, penned on Instagram.

“Yes. I could be more poetic or say things better but right now, shock and sadness prevail.”

Perry had a brief, but memorable guest appearance on Doherty’s show, “Beverly Hills, 90210,” in 1991.

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