Charlie Puth Honours Matthew Perry By Singing 'Friends' Tune 'I'll Be There For You' In Melbourne
Matthew Perry tragically passed away at age 54 on Saturday, 28 October.
Charlie Puth (Source: Supplied)
American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth honoured Matthew Perry, who tragically passed away on Saturday (28 October), by performing the Friends tune, I’ll Be There For You (by The Rembrandts) in Melbourne last night.
The tribute occurred on Puth’s first of two nights performing at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena in support of his October 2022 album, CHARLIE. Puth played the now-iconic melody on the piano, allowing the audience to take the lead and sing the first verse and clap along during that moment.
Answering “When the rain starts to pour”, “Like I’ve been there before”, and “Cause you’re there for me too” to the crowd’s “I’ll be there for you”, Puth transformed what would’ve been a sad day for anyone who called Friends their comfort show into a wonderful one.
You can watch footage of the performance captured by Grace Frost on TikTok below. At the time of writing, the video currently has over 1.5 million likes.
“Two celebrity deaths that hit me deep… Paul and now Matthew,” one user wrote, referring to the next song Puth would perform last night, See You Again, a song in tribute to Fast And Furious actor Paul Walker.
Matthew Perry died at age 54. Multiple news outlets reported that the actor, who played Chandler Bing for ten seasons of Friends, was found unresponsive in his hot tub at home in Los Angeles.
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Aside from his comedic acting chops, Perry was a beacon of hope and determination who faced decades of struggles with addiction, which he chronicled in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing.
Paget Brewster, known for her television roles as Emily on Criminal Minds and Kathy on Friends, wrote after news of Perry’s death broke, “He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.”
The official Friends Twitter/X account added, “We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans.”
Charlie Puth’s Australian tour continues tonight in Melbourne and ends at Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre on Wednesday, 1 November.
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