The In Memoriam of the Emmy Awards, by default, is always one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony. It’s time to pay tribute to those professionals who helped shape television. In this edition it was time to say goodbye to a very beloved actor who passed away early: Matthew Perry, the actor known for his role as Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends. And, how could it be otherwise, those seconds became one of the moments of the night.
The segment began with Norman Lear as the central figure. The screenwriter, director, producer and actor, who had signed iconic series for American television such as All in the Family, Day by Day and Maude, died in December at the age of 101.
Next, there were images to remember talents such as the actors Angela Lansbury, Harry Belafonte or Alan Arkin, the screenwriter Manny Coto or the singer Irene Cara until, suddenly, the singer Charlie Puth began to sing the legendary I’ll be there for you by The Rembrandts, the legendary Friends tune.
Nothing more was needed to raise the hairs on end and moisten the eyes of the audience at the Peacock Theater. In fact, at no point during the ceremony did any of the Friends actors take the stage: it would have been too hurtful to witness the first meeting of the friends of Central Perk without one of the six founding members.
It should be remembered that Matthew Perry died in October at the age of 54 at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles after accidentally drowning in his jacuzzi. As was learned after performing the corresponding autopsy, his death was due to the acute effects of ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic properties and with which more and more treatments are being performed.
