Matthew Perry’s most famous character, Chandler Bing, was known for making eyebrow-raising jokes, but not even he would have found this one funny.
An American stand-up comedian poked fun at Perry’s sudden death, aged 54, after he was found unresponsive at his LA home on Saturday.
Kevin Brennan, 63, a podcast host and former writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL) responded to the shocking news on Twitter/X, along with millions of others.
But rather than pen a message of admiration or grief, Brennan made light of the Friends star's untimely passing.
Tweeting a link to TMZ’s coverage of the tragedy, he added the caption: “DROWNED IN A HOT TUB. HAHAHAHA.”
His cruelly tasteless remark was met with shock and fury across the platform, with critics branding him an “absolutely disgusting human being”.
But rather than admit he’d gone too far with his mockery, the 63-year-old doubled down.
He not only retweeted a number of articles condemning his behaviour, but he also hit back with more offensive retorts.
Responding to one commentator who asked: “Why is drowning in a hot tub funny[?]” he wrote: “Because it’s not very deep.”
Then refuting the suggestion that he had “mocked” Perry’s death, he commented: “I didn’t mock it. I just thought it was funny.”
He then added: “But I do love it when junkies die.”
Then, hours after the backlash began, he tweeted provocatively: “Am I trending yet?”
Perry made no secret of his decades-long battle against addiction to alcohol and prescription medication.
Indeed, he made it his later life’s ambition to help others struggling with the same issues.
In an interview for the podcast Q with Tom Power Q with Tom Power last year, the 17 Again star was categorical about what he wanted to be remembered for.
He told his host: “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.’”
He added: “When I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned, and I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that.”
Despite speculation over the cause of Perry’s death, post-mortem results have reportedly so far been inconclusive, with further investigations underway.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said that the official cause of death is not likely to be declared for a few weeks.
Perry will continue to live on through his work, both on and off the screen.
Critics have urged Brennan to consider how he himself would like to be remembered: whether as a comic writer who made people laugh, or as a vicious, remorseless troll.
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