As tributes pour in for beloved Friends star Matthew Perry, officials are still trying to determine what caused the death of the Emmy-nominated actor over the weekend.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner on Sunday listed the cause of his death as “deferred”, saying additional investigation is required, with questions swirling around what happened to the American-Canadian actor.
Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series Friends, was found dead in his Los Angeles home Saturday, according to the coroner’s record. He was 54.
An autopsy has been completed, several U.S. media outlets have reported.
“In cases where the cause of death cannot be determined at the time of autopsy, a deferred certificate will be issued until additional studies have been completed,” the LA coroner’s office states on its website.
His body is “ready for release,” the coroner’s website states.
As the investigation continues, it may take weeks before the cause of Perry’s death is determined.
According to American media reports, including the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, the Emmy-nominated actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home Saturday. Celebrity website TMZ was the first to report the news.
LAPD Officer Drake Madison told The Associated Press on Saturday that officers had gone to that block “for a death investigation of a male in his 50s.”
Perry’s 10 seasons on Friends made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.
As Chandler, he played the quick-witted, insecure and neurotic roommate of LeBlanc’s Joey and a close friend of Schwimmer’s Ross.
Perry described himself as half-Canadian and had deep ties to some of the biggest names in Canadian politics.
He lived between Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto with his Canadian mother, Suzanne Perry, who worked as press secretary for then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau and later as a national anchor for Global News.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to Perry’s death in a tweet late Saturday night, calling it “shocking and saddening”.
“I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them,” Trudeau said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.”
— With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press.
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