Gareth Cattermole / Staff; Getty Images / Stringer
Adele Pays Tribute to Matthew Perry at Vegas Show: ‘One of the Best Comedic Characters of All Time’
Adele paused her Las Vegas show to pay an emotional tribute to Matthew Perry hours after his “shocking” death on October 28.
The singer, 35, dedicated her song “When We Were Young” to the Friends alum during her residency concert at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace the night of his death.
“I’ll remember that character for the rest of my life,” the “Someone Like You” singer told the audience of Matthew’s Friends character Chandler Bing. “He’s probably the best comedic character of all time.”
“It was quite shocking,” Adele said of the news of the actor’s death at the age of 54. “Especially when someone that made you laugh, who brought so much joy to your life that you don’t know. This is what I find so strange, I’ve never met him in my life.”
While the Grammy winner acknowledged that she didn’t know the circumstances surrounding his death, she praised his openness in his struggle with addiction.
“He was so open with his struggles with addiction and sobriety, which I think is incredibly, incredibly brave,” she said. “I just wanna say how much I love what he did for us. Especially what he did for me. [He] created one of the best comedic characters of all time, and hopefully now he can rest in peace.”
The “Hello” singer shared a heartfelt story about her personal connection to the actor’s beloved character Chandler, and called the classic sitcom a “really big part of [her] life.”
“Some of my favorite memories of when I was younger with my friends, and one of my friends, Andrew, when I was like 12, did the best Chandler impression,” she recalled. “He would do it all the time to make us laugh and if any of us were having a bad day or feeling low, he would just pretend to be Chandler.”
Matthew died due to an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home. The LAPD released an official statement about his tragic death over the weekend, noting that the Almost Heroes actor was “discovered by a witness unresponsive in his jacuzzi” at around 4 p.m.
The Fools Rush In actor was open about his struggles with substance abuse, admitting he once took up to 55 Vicodin a day and weighed only 128 pounds. Matthew began to struggle with alcohol addiction at age 24 – the same year he was cast on Friends.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on Sunday, October 29, that an autopsy was completed, but that toxicology testing is needed before a cause of death can be determined.
