How did Matthew Perry and River Phoenix meet? Friendship explored in wake of former's death at 54 

On Saturday, October 28, American-Canadian actor-comedian Matthew Perry passed away at the age of 54. He was found unresponsive by his assistant in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades residence in Los Angeles, California. Later, the police arrived and declared him dead from apparent drowning.

Although best remembered for playing the fan-favorite role of Chandler Bing in the NBC sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004, Matthew Perry also starred in other movies and TV shows throughout his career.

In one such movie titled A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, in 1986, Perry met actor-musician River Phoenix, and the duo became close friends until the latter passed away on October 31, 1993, at the young age of 23.

Recalling his brief interaction with Phoenix in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry wrote:

“It was in Chicago, and on this movie, and with River Phoenix, that I fell deeply in love with acting – and the cherry on top of this deeply magical time was that River and I became firm friends.”

In the wake of Matthew Perry’s demise, his friendship with River Phoenix has piqued the interest of many.

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Matthew Perry and River Phoenix met on the set of the former’s debut film

Born in Massachusetts, USA, and raised in Canada, Matthew Perry moved to Los Angeles to become an actor in the mid-1980s. There, he struggled as a part-time supporting actor in TV shows until he landed his debut film, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, in 1986, which was primarily shot in Chicago.

It was an adaptation of the book Aren’t You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye? written by William Richert, who also directed the movie. Set in 1960s Chicago, the coming-of-age drama starred actor-musician River Phoenix in the titular role and Matthew Perry as his high school best friend Fred Roberts.

Perry, in his memoir, called his time in Chicago “the best experience of my life" and credited his beloved late friend River Phoenix for the memorable journey. He also mentioned how he “fell deeply in love with acting” on the set of the film and spent “magical time” with his “firm friend” River Phoenix, who made him "feel too comfortable to even be jealous of him."

“I had never been so excited in my life… He [River] and I drank beer and shot pool on North Rush Street.”

Perry further added how on the last day of the shooting, he sat and cried on his bed in the Tremont Hotel room as he realized he was not going to “have an experience like that” ever again. The actor also called his friend the better actor among the two but tagged himself as funnier.

“My first movie, far from home, free to flirt and drink, and hang out with a brilliant young man like River Phoenix…who personified beauty in every way,” Perry wrote.

The movie was released in 1988 and was not a commercial success.

Meanwhile, five years later, on October 31, 1993, Phoenix succumbed to a drug overdose. In his memoir, Matthew Perry recalled the day River died and how he felt devastated.

"River was a beautiful man, inside and out — too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down.”

In the wake of Matthew Perry’s death, Tuesday marked the 30th death anniversary of River Phoenix. His mother Arlyn took to the Instagram account @heartsphoenix dedicated to the memory of her late son and shared his photo with a lengthy caption, reported People.

There she called Phoenix “a voice for the voiceless,” who until his last breath “had the courage to use his celebrity [status] to make a difference.” The post also shared the lyrics of one of River’s songs he wrote as a kid and a tribute from his sister Rain.

"Whether it was for human rights, animal rights, women’s rights, racial justice, environmentalism, or any wrong that needed to be righted, he was there," the caption read.

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In brief, the life of River Phoenix

Born on August 23, 1970, River Phoenix was an actor-musician who rose to fame in 1986 following the success of his first notable role in the coming-of-age film Stand By Me, based on the Stephen King novella The Body. Later, he also appeared in films like Explorers, My Own Private Idaho, and Running on Empty, the latter earning him an Oscar nomination at the young age of 18.

He also released songs such as Heart to Get, Across the Way, and Lone Star State of Mine, among others. However, his fame was short-lived as he succumbed to acute combined drug intoxication on Halloween night of 1993.

Not many know, but River Phoenix was the elder brother of Oscar-winning Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix, four years his junior.