Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, was remembered with a touching song at his funeral.
The actor, who sadly passed away last week, had his memorial service end with the powerful 1980s ballad 'Don't Give Up' by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.
The lyrics of the song tell the story of a man struggling with unemployment and its impact on his relationship, reflecting themes of isolation and despair.
However, the choruses, sung from his partner's perspective, offer words of care, hope, and encouragement.
The song has a touching line that 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."
Fans are wondering if this could be about Perry's struggle with addiction, which he talked about in his book, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
The title of the song might also be a message of strength for others who have struggled with addiction. Matthew went to rehab 15 times between 1994 and his death.
In October 2022, Matthew told People magazine about his battle with alcohol from 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.'"
He also got addicted to prescription drugs, taking up to 55 Vicodin tablets a day, which made him lose weight.
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 facing many challenges in his life, it was reported that no drugs were found at his home after his sudden passing, and there was no sign of foul play. Later on, it was revealed that initial toxicology tests didn't find any fentanyl or meth in Matthew's system when he died, with the cause of his death still a mystery.
It's not known if Matthew had requested for the song or burial place in his will. The cemetery, which is also the final resting place of Star Wars heroine Carrie Fisher, cinema legend Bette Davis, and INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, is located opposite Warner Bros Studios, where the popular 90s sitcom was filmed for ten years.
Friends first aired in 1994 and ran for 10 seasons. The last episode was broadcasted in 2004 and broke records with over 50 million viewers. The cast got together again in 2021 for a reunion and Perry couldn't hold back his tears as they looked back on their time filming the show.
His unexpected death has led to an outpouring of grief from fans who loved his career-defining role 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 seen at the service yesterday.
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