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Matthew Perry's heartfelt wish for legacy beyond 'Friends' goes viral after his death at 54, fans say 'we'll honor it'

'When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends,' Matthew Perry said last year

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew Perry's heartwrenching wish to be remembered beyond his iconic role in 'Friends' resurfaced online after his sudden and tragic death on Saturday, October 28. 

The beloved actor, 54, was reportedly found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home before being pronounced dead by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. 

In the wake of Perry's death, a transcript of an interview he did with podcaster Tom Power went viral online.

As part of his statement, Perry said he does not wish to be remembered only for playing Chandler Bing in 'Friends' but for the work he did to support people suffering from addiction.

A look at Matthew Perry's statement of being remembered beyond 'Friends'

During his podcast interview, Perry told Power, "I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, 'Will you help me?' I will always say 'Yes, I know how to do that.'"

"'I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.' So I do that, whenever I can. In groups, or one on one," he added.

Perry then spoke about turning his former Malibu beach home into a men's sober living facility, saying, "And I created the Perry House in Malibu, a sober-living facility for men."

"I also wrote my play, 'The End of Longing', which is a personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk," the actor continued, adding, "I had something important to say to people like me, and to people who love people like me."

Perry went on to say that he is aware people will mostly talk about his role in 'Friends' after his death.

He said, "When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends."

"And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web," he added. 

The actor then shared his wish to be remembered beyond his 'Friends' role, saying, "But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if 'Friends' were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice."

Internet reacts to Matthew Perry's heartfelt wish after his death

Perry's statement about how he wished to be remembered after death went viral in the wake of his demise.

"Matthew Perry [heartbreak emoji] Thank you for helping others," wrote filmmaker Michael Schwartz alongside a transcript of Perry's wish. 

"May it be so! Thank you for the memories. Your kindness gave dimension to your work -- and hope to the people you helped. RIP," a fan responded.

"Addiction is real, he was a survivor ; I’m so proud of him, I’m proud of all the people like this who are stronger than their past circumstances. These are heroes, these are people that we should look up to. Thank you for helping others Matthew Perry," another added.

"I will honour your wish Matthew. I will remember you for the good you did in helping others fight their addiction demons. That is a wonderful legacy to leave behind. Here’s to you and care for others," one said.

"Matthew Perry was my favourite in Friends. He had brilliant comedy timing and was very handsome, too. It was really caring of him to help other people with addictions, but that is how he came across....always kind and caring. What a lovely man. RIP Matthew," one wrote.

"Thank you Matthew for the laughter, but also for the love, kindness and compassion you showed others. What a loss," a fifth commented.

One said, "Thank you for doing what you could to help others!" while another added, "Rest in peace. Ur accomplishments will live on in my mind. Never turn ur back on people in need."

One user mentioned, "As someone who doesn’t even watch Friends, I do much appreciate what he has done as a PERSON. And I’m so sad he couldn’t always find that help he needed for himself."

While another added, "I will always remember Matthew as the celebrity who showed us male mental health issues need addressing. Chandler was a great character which Matthew very much made his own, but very much towards the end of his long list of accomplishments as he himself noted in the above quote."