Matthew Perry: was the Friends star married and does he leave behind any children?

Matthew Perry has sadly died aged just 54.

The Friends star, who became beloved worldwide for his portrayal of the sarcastic, quippy Chandler Bing on the iconic sitcom, died after an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home, US outlets have reported.

According to AP, when asked to confirm police had responded to Perry’s address, LAPD Officer Drake Madison said that officers had gone to that block “for a death investigation of a male in his 50s.”

Tributes have begun pouring in, from the likes of Mira Sorvino and Maggie Wheeler – who played Janice on Friends – but the other five cast members, including Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, have yet to make a statement.

As the world bids farewell to the funnyman, many are wondering if he leaves behind a partner or children.

Was Matthew Perry married?

Matthew Perry was never married, but was reported to have been in a series of relationships throughout the course of his career.

Despite never walking down the aisle, the sitcom star was previously engaged to his literary manager Molly Hurwitz.

He popped the question in 2020, two years after the couple started dating in 2018. However, they ended their engagement in 2021.

He explained to People magazine at the time, "‘I decided to get engaged. Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time."

But, alas, he explained, "Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best."

Did Matthew Perry have children?

Matthew did not have any children, though he did talk about wanting them.

In an interview with People magazine, Matthew shared that he thought he would be a “great” father.

“I think I’d be great. I really do. I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”

Matthew Perry’s famous exes

While he never made it all the way down the aisle, the 17 Again actor enjoyed plenty of happy times with a string of prominent exes.

In the 1990s, he enjoyed a six month relationship with Julia Roberts, which he touched upon in his 2022 book, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

He described how he and the Pretty Woman star would send “hundreds” of faxes and have five-hour phone calls before they began dating.

Reflecting on their split in April 1996, he wrote, “Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.”

His longest relationship was thought to be with Mean Girls actress Lizzy Kaplan.

He dated the actress for almost six years from 2006 until they parted ways in 2012.

Other former partners include Scream’s Neve Campbell and Baywatch’s Yasmine Bleeth.

Reflecting on his past relationships, he said he’d broken up with all the “wonderful women” he’d dated because he was “deathly afraid that they will find out that I’m not enough… and they’ll break up with me."