Kids living near Matthew Perry’s LA home have left a series of tributes outside the actor’s front door – hours after the Friends star’s ‘tragic’ death at the age of 54.
Seen Sunday, the gifts ranged from pumpkins to sunflowers, as well as Funko Pop figurines of a certain, selfless superhero.
The toy, a depiction of Batman, harked back to the ‘Mattman’ name Perry had used in recent days while posting to social media – often with references and imagery related to the Caped Crusader.
In his final post penned just days before his death, the actor again used the moniker – this time while posting from his hot tub – writing in a caption: ‘Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman.’
A few days later, Perry would be found dead in that same hot tub – an occurrence that 13-year-old Claudio revealed left him with one less friend. Speaking exclusively to .com, he described how the gifts were meant to honor his fallen hero.
Claudio, 13, and other neighbors left a series of gifts outside the actor’s LA home Sunday, with the tributes including wreathes of sunflowers and a Funko Pop figurine of a certain superhero – along with a pumpkin carved with a symbol to honor both Perry and the comic book character
The toy, a depiction of Batman, harked back to the ‘Mattman’ name Perry had used in recent days while posting to social media – often with references and imagery related to the Caped Crusader
In his final post penned just days before his death, the actor again used the moniker – this time while posting from his hot tub – writing in a caption: ‘Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman’
Haunting: Matthew’s last Instagram was posted five days ago. The teen told .com of the nickname: ‘I know that he liked to call himself Mattman – so I carved a bat into the pumpkin’
‘I know that he liked to call himself Mattman – so I carved a bat into the pumpkin,’ explained young Claudio, whose older brother also left some trinkets in tribute.
‘I think it would make him happy,’ the teenager said.
The youngster went on to recount his run-ins with the sitcom star in the neighborhood – meetings he said he would cherish, thanks to Perry’s charming demeanor.
‘He always made me laugh,’ he said, hailing the star’s on-screen counterpart as his ‘favorite character on Friends’.
The teen recalled: ‘He was such a nice person.’
He went on to explain the unique relationship he and the acting icon shared during their time as neighbors – a period he said he would always remember fondly.
‘When I first met him in the neighborhood, he introduced himself and said I’m Matthew.’
Much like his iconic Chandler – who New Yorkers on Sunday honored by leaving wreathes at the West Village restaurant he and cast-members frequented on the long-running show – Claudio described Perry as ‘always really friendly and funny.’
‘Everything happens for a reason and he was a good person,’ the teen said of the actor, who he said would often make him laugh with witticisms during their run-ins in the neighborhood
The youngster went on to recount his encounters with the sitcom star – seen here with his castmates during 2021’s reunion – since moving in: meetings he said he would cherish thanks to Perry’s charming demeanor
‘I think it would make him happy,’ the teenager said of the gifts, some of which were left by other children who had been close with the iconic sitcom star
‘He always made me laugh,’ he said, hailing the star’s on-screen counterpart as his ‘favorite character on Friends’
He went on to explain the unique relationship he and the acting icon shared during their time as neighbors – a period he said he would always remember fondly
‘When I first met him in the neighborhood, he introduced himself and said I’m Matthew,’ he said
‘He was my favorite character in Friends,’ the child reiterated, ‘[and] he accomplished so many of his goals. So I feel like he is happy now’
He told one of our reporter’s of Perry’s reported drowning death: ‘Everything happens for a reason…. he was a good person’
‘He was my favorite character in Friends,’ he reiterated, ‘[and] he accomplished so many of his goals.
‘So I feel like he is happy now’, the child said.
Claudio’s older brother, meanwhile, was the one to bring over the Funko Pop of Batman and bouquet of sunflowers eventually placed on Perry’s curb, while a 17-year-old and his nine-year-old sister also left sunflowers with a handwritten note.
Remembering his old friend while addressing his unfortunate end, Claudio on Sunday offered some parting words that showed wisdom beyond his years.
He told one of our reporter’s of Perry’s reported drowning death: ‘Everything happens for a reason…. he was a good person.’
The actor, who shot to fame as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in the seminal 90s sitcom, was found dead at the house Saturday after emergency crews were called at around 4pm local time.
He had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball – a sport similar to tennis but played on a smaller court – earlier in the day, before sending his assistant out on an errand. When they returned, Perry was said to be found unresponsive in his hot tub.
Fan-favourite role: Matthew rose to fame for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit 90s sitcom Friends, which ran for 10 seasons
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 miles away New Yorkers on Sunday honored by leaving wreathes at the West Village restaurant he and cast-members frequented on the long-running show
Friends, which followed the lives of six friends in their 20s living in New York, was a smash hit across the globe when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and re-runs still remain hugely popular years later.
Perry won a worldwide fanbase for his role as Chandler, earning him an Emmy nomination in 2002 – but behind the glitz and glamour, he secretly battled substance abuse for decades.
There was no indication of foul play and no drugs were found at the scene of his death, sources said this morning.
Several of his final posts on social media saw him embrace the self-given nickname the kids were so familiar with.
The day before the hot tub photo, he wrote alongside a video that depicted the night sky illuminated the moon, ‘Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you? – I’m Mattman.’
Then Tuesday on X, Mattman struck again, writing: ‘Let’s make stigmas a stigma. -I’m Mattman #mentalhealth.’
As of Sunday afternoon, cops said they are treating the case surrounding Perry’s death as a suspected drowning, though the LA County coroner’s office currently list’s the case status of the actor’s death as ‘open.’
An autopsy has been scheduled.