New street art in London, England, honors “Friends” star Matthew Perry, who died at the weekend aged 54.
Perry wears a baseball cap backward — as his character Chandler Bing sometimes did in the hit sitcom — in Chicago-born street artist Pegasus’ tribute. The caption “I’ll Be There For You” refers to The Rembrandts’ song that was the “Friends” theme tune.
“This tribute feels the most personal in years as my partner and I had the great privilege of meeting Matthew and spending time with him while he was living in London during his ‘The End of Longing’ play,” Pegasus, whose real name is Chris Turner, told HuffPost on Wednesday.
Perry frequently visited the Starbucks coffee shop that was being managed by Turner’s partner Orlando in 2016, he explained.
They became “acquainted on a first-named basis” and Perry invited the couple to see his debut play, a dark comedy that in his memoir he described as “a personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk.”
Perry openly spoke about his battles with addiction and alcoholism.
He was found dead on Saturday in his jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles in an apparent drowning incident. An investigation into the cause of death is ongoing.
“Through all his comedic layers, Matthew was a seeker, he could always sense those struggling and offered help and much-needed advice,” Turner told HuffPost. “He was a rare soul who could guide others even though he was battling his own demons, as were we.”
“His words of advice and encouragement helped us through some hard times,” the artist added. “The ‘Friends’ theme song took on a whole new meaning from that moment.”
