The overnight news of Matthew Perry’s sudden death at the age of 54 was greeted with sadness at the current epicentre of the Friends universe in Ireland on Sunday morning.
However, such is the intergenerational and eternally enduring appeal of the era-defining sitcom Perry was so central to, that there was universal acknowledgment among those visiting the Friends Experience in Dublin’s Point Square that his legacy and the laughter his singular sarcasm prompted will live on for a long time to come.
“I was very shocked, I was nearly crying this morning,” said Bláthnaid McKenna. Gesturing to the fellow 20-somethings in her group, she said: “We watch [Friends] every day. It’s funny and it’s easy and it puts us in a good mood. We all grew up with our mams and dads watching it, it was always on.”
The Friends Experience recreates multiple sets including the coffee shop, and the two apartments lived in by Monica and Rachel, and Chandler and Joey. “I think today might be a bit sad, maybe especially in the boys’ apartment but you don’t want to be too morbid about it at the same time.”
Liz and Dan McAuliffe travelled up to the experience from Kerry.
“I’ve watched Friends many, many times,” Liz told The Irish Times. “I used to record it on a Monday night and then watch it all the way through the week. Do I know every word? Oh yes. Did I cry on the way over here? Yes I did. Someone woke me up to tell me the news first thing this morning,” she added, gesturing to her sheepish looking husband.
“It so sad,” Liz said. “He was so very troubled, but I think we all thought things were turning for him with his book and everything.”
His autobiography, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, which was published last year, detailed his decades-long battle with addiction. It has been critically acclaimed and topped the New York Times best-seller list.
Donna Byrne from Meath was bringing her daughter Kassia to the experience as a ninth birthday present. “I grew up watching Friends just like she is growing up watching Friends,” Donna said. “I was surprised by the news, I have to say. I know he had demons and he was fighting them. He was in a lot of things but he will be remembered for Friends, his sarcasm was next to nothing. It was brilliant.”
The appeal of Friends spans generations and the globe. “I woke up to the news this morning,” said Yuloa Dmyrtyshyn from Ukraine. “It was devastating. Chandler was definitely my favourite. I have watched Friends maybe 30 or 40 times from start to finish.”
[ Matthew Perry could never shake off Chandler Bing or his demonsOpens in new window ]
While most of those mourning the passing of Perry have been fans for years, Tami Nascimento from Brazil is a recent convert. “I have only been watching it for about a year. Chandler was always my favourite and I think we will all remember him for the best bits, for the jokes and his laughing. I think we would all like to be remembered like that. Everyone has their struggles, and he was no exception,” Nascimento said.
Noirin Bannon from Glasnevin was not going to the Friends Experience, she was on her way to a burlesque dance class on Sheriff Street, but she was probably the biggest fan of them all.
“He was fab and I am devastated. I am listening to a podcast about his traumas, right now,” Bannon said. “I am the same age as him and we grew up watching Friends. We all wanted the Rachel hair but Chandler was definitely my favourite, he was the funniest and the one you would have love to have gone out with. But in real life he was so unhappy. I mean think about it, he was worth so much and he had so much success but he was so unhappy. It just shows that you can have everything and still be miserable.”
Bannon recalled how influential Friends was when it was first broadcast in the mid-1990s. “It was such an eye-opener for us,” she said. “Even going for a coffee, that was new to us back then. But [Perry’s] demons were always at him and he never escaped really. He had such anxiety, and I think the fact that he was able to do all of the things that he did living with that level of anxiety was really amazing. We will really miss him.”
