Matthew Perry was on one of the most popular television shows in history.  Although ‘Friends’ officially ended almost 20 years ago, the show itself is still popular.

When news of Perry’s death broke, news outlets covered it heavily.  Helicopters and drones hovered over Perry’s home; cameras tried to get glimpses of his grieving parents, and Perry’s book about his past addictions became heavily quoted.

Because he was one of the six friends on the show of the same name, the media waited to hear what the other five friends, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc, would do or say.

Is this interest in a celebrity’s death good or bad?

Many celebrities’ deaths are often covered to a high degree once the death itself has been announced. This has occurred with many notable celebrities including Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, and Marilyn Monroe.

After the recent passing of Friends star Matthew Perry, I began to ponder why we are so focused on — and possibly even obsessed with — the deaths of celebrities.

The deaths of people we look up to can be beyond hard. Many of us have grown up with these people on countless media platforms, including news outlets, social media, and movies/television shows. Seeing old footage of the celebrity in past interviews played over and over just makes the grieving harder.

It has to be even harder on the families of the celebrities who are hoping for some privacy in their own grief — only to have the media cowering over them as they try to get the story.

When we focus so much on the deaths of celebrities, it is easy to reduce their whole lives into one box.  Matthew Perry’s death was such a tragic and sudden death that took many people by surprise.

When the death was announced, the first thing many people discussed was his notable role on the show, Friends. While this was a huge part of his life, we should not be boxing his life down to just that.

Perry had a lifelong struggle with addiction. However, after turning his life around for the better, he devoted his life to helping others with what he had once struggled with.

On the podcast “Q by Tom Power,” which was released on YouTube on November 22, 2022, Perry was a guest. In the episode, Perry talked about his survival of addiction and why he had turned his life into helping others.

During this episode, Perry said, “When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want (helping others with addiction) to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”

By doing a simple Google Search of “Matthew Perry’s Death,” many headlines focus on his role on Friends. The New York Times headline reads, “Matthew Perry, ‘Friends’ Star, Dies at 54.” CNN’s headline reads “Matthew Perry, ‘Friends’ star, dead at 54,” and the AP News headline reads “Matthew Perry, Emmy-nominated ‘Friends’ star, dead at 54.”

The coverage of his death has mainly focused on a small 10-year portion of his life on a television show. We need to remember that he and other celebrities are more than their TV or movie roles. They have families and other accomplishments.