RIP Matthew Perry

It's been all over, well, everywhere. Matthew Perry died yesterday at the age of 54.

I know many people are not really "Friends" fans. I however am. And the character of Chandler Bing was my favorite. Sweet, pessimistic, quirky, somewhat aloof...he was one of the only characters that didn't annoy me in any way. "Friends" is actually one of my comfort shows since people with anxiety apparently have those. 

But it always hurts me to see people who battled such demons finally lose, either to their DOC or to something unrelated. It reminds me that addiction does not discriminate, the happiest people can be the saddest, that fame and money sometimes can't make life better, and that life is short. From what I've read, he had drowned at his home. I haven't gone down the rabbit hole of what exactly happened because it's seriously all. over. social media. They will of course do an autopsy to rule out any drug/alcohol use but I'm just confused how he died from drowning at home. Did he relapse? Did he commit suicide? Or did something freak just happen? Either way, a man who fought alcoholism and drug addiction, went to rehab a few times, had depression, and who was only a mere 54 years old, died tragically on a Saturday in October. 

Deaths like this hit me a bit in the feels ( also probably because I'm currently unmedicated and overly emotional ) because these celebrities are simply just human beings. They feel, they bleed, they die. They are not untouchable. They are not looked over when death comes to call. It brings to mind Robin Williams, also. That passing I took pretty hard. He was such a talented, caring, funny, sweet, down to Earth man. I never heard one bad thing about Robin and his life. Where we have people who use their celebrity to judge others, use as a scapegoat for bad behavior, etc...Robin was one of the good ones. But no one knew how truly sad he was...until it was too late. It's heartbreaking. 

Chester Bennington? We knew he was sad--he sang about depression all the time. That's why we loved and related to Linkin Park. He touched so many lives with his music, while he struggled with his own. Drugs, sadness, fighting the demons he held inside. These talented people had so much good to give to this world, but the overwhelming sadness that they could not bear any longer took them away from us too soon.

I understand accidents, some that make no sense, happen all the time. Death does not care if you're rich, poor, good, bad...when it's your time, it's your time. So when a death is publicized as much as it is for a celebrity, I think that it also makes us see our own impending mortality. It makes it more "real" in a way. A reality check that we are aging and that anything could happen at any time...

It is truly so sad that Matthew Perry is gone. A ton of us watched him for years through "Friends" and the movies he did. He'd just started doing interviews and talking about his struggles over the last few years amidst his writing his autobiography, and I think that makes it hurt a little more--he opened up about himself and made us love him all over again, and now we've lost him. 

I never made time to watch the interviews, but it's going to sting a little more when I finally do. And I had plans to read his autobiography, which will also hurt a bit more, too.

Rest in paradise, Chandler Bing. You will be missed by fans and friends alike.