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‘Friends’ Stars We’ve Lost Through the Years: Remembering Matthew Perry, Robin Williams and More

Entertainment

Nov 22, 2023 11:19 am·

By Whitney Danhauer

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Friends fans lost one of their favorites when Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom, died on October 28, 2023. Matthew was found unresponsive in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home after an apparent drowning.

However, Matthew isn’t the only big star the Friends cast has lost through the years. From James Michael Tyler who played Gunther, the barista pining over Jennifer Aniston’s character, Rachel Green, to Mike Hagerty who took on the role of the building superintendent, several actors who appeared on the show have died. Keep scrolling to see all of the Friends stars we’ve lost through the years.

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1 of 7

Matthew Perry

Matthew’s role of Chandler quickly became a fan favorite after the series premiered in 1994, and he even earned an Emmy nomination for the part in 2002. Audiences watched as the characters made their way through life in their 20s and 30s in New York City with Chandler eventually falling in love with Monica Geller, played by Courteney Cox.

At the Friends reunion in 2021, Matthew opened up about his struggles with substance abuse and in 2022, he released his book, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. The memoir goes into more detail about the problems The Whole 9 Yards star dealt with throughout the years. He was 54 when he died.

2 of 7

Fred Willard

Fred Willard had a small but memorable cameo in Friends season 2 as Dean Lipson. Dean worked at the San Diego Zoo and incorrectly told Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) that his monkey had died.

Fred was well known for his comedic performances in movies such as Anchorman and Best in Show. He died at the age of 86 on May 15, 2020.

3 of 7

James Michael Tyler

James’ character, Gunther, appeared in 185 episodes of Friends, the most after the main cast. Gunther worked at Central Perk, a hangout of the core group, and while he was a daily fixture in the characters’ lives, it was a running joke that he could never become the fifth Friend.

James was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, but he revealed it had advanced to stage 4 in June 2021. He died on October 24, 2021, at the age of 59.

4 of 7

Max Wright

Some people might remember Max Wright from his role as Willie Tanner on the 80s sitcom, Alf, but Max also had a recurring role in Friends seasons 1 and 2 as Terry, the owner of Central Perk.

The former Broadway actor was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 1995 and succumbed to the disease on June 26, 2019, at 75.

5 of 7

Mike Hagerty

Mike’s character, Mr. Treeger, only appeared in a handful of episodes, but his character was the last to be mentioned in the series finale when Monica said, “Leave the keys for Treeger.”

He was also one of 20 stars who appeared in both Seinfeld and Friends. He died in May 2022 after having a seizure. He was 67.

6 of 7

Paul Gleason

Paul Gleason’s most memorable role was likely the domineering principal, Mr. Vernon, in The Breakfast Club, but he appeared in the season 6 episode of Friends called “The One That Could’ve Been.” He played Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) former boss, Jack.

Paul died from a form of lung cancer connected with asbestos called pleural mesothelioma on May 27, 2006. He was 67.

7 of 7

Robin Williams

Mrs. Doubtfire star Robin Williams made a cameo in season 3 as Tomas, a customer in Central Perk fighting with a friend played by Billy Crystal.

Robin died by suicide August 11, 2014, shocking the world. The beloved actor was 63.

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