On Oct. 28, Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler in the hit sitcom “Friends,” tragically passed away at his home. Many celebrities and fans have said kind words about the late actor, as they commemorate his achievements and strength throughout his fight with addiction and the overall wonderful personality that he shared with the world around him.
One of the first news reports that came out about the actor’s death was from TMZ, a famous tabloid. This is not the first time that TMZ has gotten the word out quite quickly about the sudden and unexpected death of a celebrity. CNN commented about TMZ’s rapid coverage of shocking celebrity passings such as Michael Jackson in 2009 and Kobe Bryant in 2020 with the word getting out about Bryant before officials could get full information out to loved ones. LA County Sheriff Villanueva stated that it “breaks [his] heart” that word could be getting out through media prior to getting to the families of the deceased.
Recently, as many people scroll through Instagram and TikTok, they have seen an abundance of tributes to the late Perry, highlighting his various achievements. Many are speaking about his work on “Friends,” as that is what many fans know him for. However, in an interview discussing his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry stated that he wanted to be remembered as someone who helped others with their struggles through addiction much more than as a character on “Friends.” Unfortunately, most people mention the loss of a beloved actor and character – or his cause of death – rather than as a wonderful man who helped many people.
On top of that, the comment sections are filled with disdain about the lack of messages sent out by the rest of the cast of “Friends” although the group released a joint statement about Perry and their desire to grieve without the watch of the public eye. However, fans still want to see them grieve publicly. Although many miss Perry and were impacted by his loss, should they be commenting extensively about his death?
Many people are receiving their information through tabloids, but these reporters are not giving his friends and family much space to grieve the loss of a loved one without witnessing numerous accounts regarding his death.
Fans of Perry have referenced an interview with co-star Jennifer Aniston when she spoke about Perry’s struggle with addiction on the set of “Friends,” expecting a much more public and detailed reaction to Perry’s death. But why must the public impose on these actors’ grief? Is it simply because they are in the public eye and so they must always be front and center during these tragic events?
As a society, with many tabloids and such easy access to social media, it can be difficult to turn the screen off and take a step back from worrying about what famous people are posting about daily. If it were not for their names, these people would be able to grieve their personal friend privately as well, rather than being forced to release a statement to please public interests.
While many tabloids are profiting off of the information they feed to consumers, it can be easy to go too far. Privacy is a right, and events such as these are not made for the public; they are events that are a fact of life and should be treated carefully and with respect. Even though it might be beneficial to the paparazzi to get a new story out to the public, tabloids tend to go overboard on their coverage rather than protecting famous individuals and their rights to privacy.
Fans can get caught up in the story that reporters provide and miss out on the important takeaways and difficult subjects that come along with the death of a celebrity. Although it might be the most publicized story at the moment, the death of a celebrity is not something to gawk at. Instead, take a moment of reflection and a time to respect that person’s journey through life.
