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Long-timeFriendsfan Charlie Puth paid tribute to Matthew Perry during his concert in Melbourne on Sunday. Puth led the audience of more than seven thousand at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena into a piano version of the iconic theme song “I’ll Be There for You.”
In fan-filmed footage from the show, Puth covers the song originally performed bythe Rembrandts, before transitioning into his ballad “See You Again,” in the touching tribute.
Puth was not the only artist honoring Perry this weekend. At herLas Vegas show on Saturday,Adeletalked about her connectionto the hit sitcom, and especially Perry’s character Chandler Bing, who she called “probably the best comedic character of all time.”
“It is always so shocking, especially someone that made you laugh and who brought so much joy to your life that you don’t know,” Adele told the crowd.“This is what I find so strange, I never met him in my life. There is something, you feel so sad about it especially because you don’t necessarily know what was goingon.”
Perry died Saturdayat the age of 54, law enforcement sources confirmed toRolling Stone. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said that police “responded at 4:10 this afternoon to a death investigation for a male in his fifties.” While an official cause of death has not yet been revealed, law enforcement said that Perrydied in an apparentdrowning at his Los Angeles home.
Perry portrayed the beloved character Chandler Bing on hit sitcomFriendsalongside an ensemble cast comprising Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc. The blockbuster series ran for 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004, and featured more than 200 episodes.
The series was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who also served as executive producers with Kevin Bright. “He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words,” Crane, Kauffman, and Brightsaid in a statementtoRolling Stonefollowing the actor’s death.
“From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us,” the trio continued. “We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well.He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
