30 Years of 'Friends': Creator Opens Up About Legacy Amid Matthew Perry's Death

As the beloved sitcom "Friends" marks its 30th anniversary on Sunday, September 22, fans and creators are mourning Matthew Perry, who tragically passed away less than a year ago due to the acute effects of ketamine.

The creators of the iconic NBC sitcom, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, along with executive producer Kevin S. Bright, are opening up about Perry's passing, which has cast a shadow over what should be a joyous celebration of the show's milestone anniversary.

Reflecting on Matthew Perry's well-known battles with addiction, there was a sense of hope in the years leading up to his tragic passing, as he appeared to be making significant strides in his recovery.

"Friends," which premiered on September 22, 1994, centers around a group of six friends—Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Gellar (David Schwmmer), Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox), Chandler Bing (Perry), Joey Tribianni (Matt LeBlanc), and Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow)—living in New York City.

Created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the show, which ran for ten seasons, quickly became a cultural phenomenon, renowned for its humor, relatable characters, and memorable catchphrases.

It garnered critical acclaim and a massive fan base and received numerous awards, including Emmy Awards, and is often cited as one of the greatest television shows of all time.

Marta Kauffman and David Crane, alongside executive producer Kevin S. Bright, are candidly discussing the impact of Matthew Perry’s passing, acknowledging that it has overshadowed the show’s milestone anniversary.

“It’s a huge loss and it does make the 30th a little fraught,” Kauffman said on the "Today" show, per The Hollywood Reporter. Bright later added, “He made us laugh every day.”

Matthew Perry faced a long and public struggle with addiction, primarily involving alcohol and prescription medications. His challenges began in his early 20s, coinciding with the peak of "Friends"' popularity, which brought considerable pressure. While he portrayed the witty and charming Chandler Bing on screen, the reality was that Perry dealt with substantial personal struggles away from the spotlight.

“He’d been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really did feel like, from the [2021 cast] reunion on, that he had finally found some peace," Bright said of the late actor.

Before his death, the late actor had expressed that he didn’t want to be remembered solely as Chandler Bing. Instead, he hoped to be remembered for his efforts in helping others, particularly those grappling with addiction.

“Two things come to mind [about how to celebrate him]: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centers — let’s fight the disease,” Kauffman said. “And the second way is to watch 'Friends' and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”

In the wake of Matthew Perry's passing, as friends and loved ones paid their respects, Kauffman revealed to "Today" that she had spoken with him just two weeks prior to his death.

“[Perry] was happy and chipper," she recalled. "He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”

“He seemed better than I had seen in a while,” she added at the time. “I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking. Yes, he was sober. He learned things throughout this and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts, and it gave him purpose.”

Following a comprehensive investigation, five individuals have been charged in relation to Perry's death.

Among those charged are Dr. Mark Chavez, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and Erik Fleming, who confessed to distributing the ketamine linked to Perry's passing. Also charged are Jasveen Sangha, known as “the Ketamine Queen,” and Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's live-in personal assistant.

Matthew Perry's cause of death was ruled as "acute effects of ketamine." Toxicology tests revealed that the late actor had ketamine levels of 3540 ng/ml in his system. For comparison, in regulated surgical anesthesia settings, ketamine levels typically range from 1000 to 6000 ng/ml.