Long before he rose to fame as Chandler Bing onFriends,Matthew Perryhad carved out a career as a character actor who played bit roles on popular prime time shows likeCharles in Charge, Silver Spoons,andWho’s the Boss?
But many Gen-Xers still remember him best forhis heartbreaking turnonGrowing Painsin 1987, where he guest starred in three episodes as Sandy, an honor roll college student who was tragically killed after he hit a tree while driving drunk.
The episode, which was an after-school special, was dubbed “Second Chance.” In it, the then 20-year-old Perry took his girlfriend Carol Seaver (Tracey Gold) out to dinner, where they had a few beers. Later, Carol learns that after their date, Sandy hit a tree and was hospitalized.
As Carol visits Sandy in the hospital, she finds him bruised and bandaged‚ but alive and able to crack jokes with Carol. He confesses that he’s going to be charged with drunk driving, and though all of their parents are angry that this happened, everyone is glad Sandy was going to be able to get a second chance at life. (And that both he and Carol would learn a very important lesson.)
Tracey Gold and Matthew Perry in ‘Growing Pains’.
The episode ended with a statement declaring that 30 people in the U.S. had died of alcohol-related car crashes during the airing of the episode. Many older Perry fans remember being shown the episode at school, as a warning to take drunk driving seriously. Many still have postedabout itsince learning of Perry’stragic death on Saturday at 54.
Joanna Kerns, who played Maggie Seaver in the series, remembers Perry’s star turn on the show extremely well.
“We had many young actors come throughGrowing Pains over the years but Matthew stood out. I remember him well. He was funny, handsome, quick witted and fiercely intelligent… a natural comedian,” Kerns tells PEOPLE. “I always say, you can’t teach comedy, you either have or you don’t and Matthew had it in spades.”
Joanna Kerns.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
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Perry died Saturday at his Los Angeles home of an apparent drowning,TMZfirst reported. Law enforcement sources told the outlet there were no drugs found at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE on Sunday that an autopsy was completed, with the results pending a toxicology report. The LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division is handling Perry’s ongoing death investigation, and “foul play is not suspected at this time.”
Matthew Perry at The Playhouse Theatre on Feb. 8, 2016 in London, England.David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
source: people.com
