Last night I rewatched the goofy romantic comedy, “Fools Rush In,” with great Elvis songs and starring Matthew Perry as a boy from New York and Salma Hayek as a girl from Mexico who meet in Las Vegas.
Whether you’ve seen it or not you know the plot.
It was my way of mourning Perry who died over the weekend at age 54.
We have an odd relationship with actors like him, most of whom we’ve never met or known in real life, but who we think we know well from their characters on TV or in the movies.
For millions of people, Perry was one of those actors. Best known as Chandler in “Friends,” he was the funniest guy in the room, on the set, and reportedly, in real life.
He also was severely addicted to alcohol and a variety of drugs from the age of 14. In and out of rehab, he went public with his struggles and tried in numerous ways to help others struggling with addiction, including a memoir published just last year.
His death was reported as a drowning in a hot tub, pending an autopsy. So we don’t know whether drugs or alcohol played a role in his death — yet.
But we do know that addicts struggle to overcome their addictions, and that there are almost always slips and setbacks along the way. Often it goes like that pretty much all the way to closing time.
Near the end of his life, Perry was asked how he wanted to be remembered. “As someone who tried to help other people,” he replied.
Well I suspect he helped more people than he ever knew by making them laugh. And one thing we need more than ever right now is laughter.
HEADLINES
Matthew Perry obituary: ‘Friends’ brought fame but couldn't quell personal demons (BBC)
Matthew Perry, the one who mastered sarcasm with humor and pain (WP)
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