04 November 2023 , 21:32
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Matthew Perry's funeral closed with a powerful 1980s power ballad by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.
The 54-year-old actor - best known as Chandler Bing in Friends - was found dead at his home last week. While there is no official cause of death, it's been reported that he might have had a heart attack while in his hot tub and tragically drowned.
The actor was laid to rest in a private memorial service on Friday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The ceremony ended with a rendition of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's duet 'Don't Give Up'. The lyrics of the 1986 track tell the story of an unemployed man who is finding joblessness is causing a huge strain on his relationship, touching on themes of isolation and despair. The choruses, from his female partner's perspective, offer words of care, hope and encouragement.
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Matthew Perry's funeral featured Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel (Getty Images)
Matthew was one of the six-strong cast of Friends (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)One of the most poignant lines from the song goes, "No fight left or so it seems, I am a man whose dreams have all deserted, I've changed my face, I've changed my name, But no one wants you when you lose." Some fans have wondered if the lyrics could be seen as a touching comment on Perry's fight to beat his drug and alcohol addiction - of which he spoke about in detail in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
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The song title could also be seen as a message of strength to others who have led a life marred by addiction. Matthew went to rehab 15 times between 1994 and his death.
In October 2022, Matthew told People magazine how he became dependent on alcohol in his early twenties. He said: “I could handle it, kind of. But by the time I was 34, I was really entrenched in a lot of trouble. But there were years that I was sober during that time. Season 9 was the year that I was sober the whole way through. And guess which season I got nominated for best actor? I was like, ‘That should tell me something.'”
His family and friends gathered to pay their respects (Shutterstock / SplashNews.com)He also became addicted to prescription drugs, and at one point was taking 55 Vicodin tablets a day, causing his weight to plummet. He added: “I didn’t know how to stop. If the police came over to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’re going to take you to jail,’ I’d start packing. I couldn’t stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive. So it gets worse and worse as you grow older.”
Despite a lifetime of struggles, it was reported that no drugs were discovered at his home after his sudden passing, and there was no indication of foul play. It was then later revealed that initial toxicology tests did not show any fentanyl or meth in Matthew's system at the time of death, with his cause of death still unknown.
It is not known if the song or burial place were requested in Matthew's will. The cemetery - which is also 'home' to the remains of Star Wars heroine Carrie Fisher, cinema legend Bette Davis, and INXS frontman Michael Hutchence - is opposite Warner Bros Studios, where the hit 90s sitcom was filmed for a decade.
Friends premiered in 1994 and ran for 10 seasons. The final episode aired in 2004 and broke records with more than 50 million viewers. The cast reunited in 2021 and Perry burst into tears as they reminisced about filming the show.
His untimely death has triggered a huge outpouring of grief from fans of his career-defining performance as Chandler Bing in Friends, as well as from his A-list co-stars. His former cast mates, Lisa Kudrow, 60; Courteney Cox, 59; David Schwimmer, 57 and Jennifer Aniston, 54; were all pictured at the service yesterday.