«Friends» fans are paying tribute to the beat Matthew Perry s gestures like leaving flowers outside the New York building used in the show’s opening facade, and remembering the impacts on the advocate for the sobriety journey.
Days after the news of his death, people are also making last-minute costume homages to Perry — full of baggy sweatpants, monochromatic sweaters, vests and… bunnies.
Ria Swaynie, 29, who uses these pronouns/items, is devastated by the news. Swaynie first watched «Friends» during the COVID-19 pandemic. Living alone, the «Friends» cast became the friends they were lacking. «It felt like I wasn’t alone,» they told TODAY.com.
Chandler was the character they related to most, in terms of outlook and wardrobe. «I’m definitely the type to make a joke when something bad was happening. He was good about making dark times a little better,” they say.
Further, Swaynie says Perry’s journey s addiction and sobriety mirrored 1 she saw in a loved one. That made Perry’s death harder.
Given their connection to the actor and the actor, the idea for Chandler’s Halloween custom seemed obvious. «I hoped it wouldn’t be seen as offensive. This is in memory of him,» they say. «I felt like celebrating him is the best thing to do right now.»
Swaynie has taken Halloween pop culture-inspired Halloween customs seriously before. Years earlier, they shaved their heads completely to be Uncle Fester.
This habit requires a lot of work — just a trip to the closet. The difference here, they say, is that the custom is healing. «My way of grieving is to celebrate his life,» Swaynie says.
Like Swaynie, Lexi Gerken of Tennessee has raised multiple times since Perry’s death. Unlike Swaynie, this year marks the time 21-year-old has dressed up is a pop culture character. «No character has impacted me this much,» she says.
The day after she heard of Perry’s death, she decided to make a custom, which was easy enough: «I only had to buy sweatpants,» she says. Her costume was taken from the scene the friends play football; Chandler wore a gray sweater and blue baseball hat.
Dressing up as Chandler has been «cathartic» for her, and a way to «remind people of Matthew Perry and his great role.» Les says she hopes the custom reminds people of what Perry shared about his struggles.
While many «Friends» fans donin slacks and sweaters in their quest to be Chandler, som costums pay homage to Chandler’s own famous Halloween costum — specifically, there is reluctant transformation into a pink bunny.
Melissa of Alberta, Canada, says her 11-year-old daughter — who loves «Friends» so much she painted her bedroom door purple — started crying immediately after hearing the news. There daughter had a brain surgery where there is frontal lobe to mitigate seizures, which makes processing big emotions, like grief, more difficult. Melissa was «shocked» by the depth of her response: «She usually can’t deal with those emotions (because of) her surgery.»
With 4 pm Monday, the day for Halloween, I’ve decided to treat you to Chandler’s bunny for Halloween — in the usual manner of his stance of never dressing up for the holiday. That afternoon, they drove to four stores before finding a custom that fit.
«She met up with her friends. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re a bunny.’ She’s like, ‘No, I’m Chandler,’ she says.
Although her young friends aren’t fans of the show, off they went trick-or-treating together.
«I feel like it’s her way of processing through the emotional and depths, understanding that she’s honoring him by being the bunny for Halloween,» she says.
