Matthew Perry and other celebrity friends we lost in 2023
As the holidays surround us and the end of a year looms, we look back at all sorts of things. The biggest news events. The best songs and movies.
Is there any doubt the biggest concert tour of the year has been Taylor Swift’s Eras? It’s dwarfed even the juggernaut that is usually a Springsteen tour.
The bitter part of the bittersweet feel of an approaching New Year’s Eve is when we look back at the celebrity friends we lost.
Was there a bigger one than Matthew Perry? At only 54 years old his death came as a shock for most even though his substance use was legendary. Were we too used to it? Did we come to think he could outlive anything?
One of the saddest things about Matthew Perry was how convinced he was as a younger man that being famous was the key to a happy life. It wasn’t. His demons persisted.
To millions, he’ll always be remembered as Chandler Bing. But to a few who he helped overcome their own addictions, he’ll be remembered how he wanted to be remembered.
As a guest on a podcast Perry once 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...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.”
He was far from the only friend we lost in 2023. Here’s a look back at some of the celebrities who said goodbye.
Celebrities Who Died in 2023
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.
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