New York, New York - Shock over the sudden death of Friends star Matthew Perry rippled through Hollywood and beyond Sunday, as the beloved sitcom's creators paid tribute to the actor and fans gathered outside the New York apartment building featured on the show.

The 54-year-old actor was known globally for his portrayal of wise-cracking character Chandler Bing on the wildly popular Friends, which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.

First responders found Perry unconscious in a hot tub at his house Saturday and were unable to revive him, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times.

Perry had battled addiction and serious health problems for years, but the sudden death of a man who delivered laughter into millions of homes was a gut-punch for those who knew him – or who felt like they did.

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"This was 'The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken,'" co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane as well executive producer Kevin Bright said in a joint statement alluding to the titles of Friends episodes.

"We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened... It still seems impossible," they said in the statement sent to AFP.

"We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment -- not just to his work, but in life as well.

"He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart."

In Los Angeles, people gathered before Perry's house to lay flowers. And in New York's West Village, fans converged in the rain outside the apartment building shown on Friends as the exterior of where the famous clan lived.

"I just wanted to pay my respects," said 26-year-old Canadian visitor Taylor Lanthier, who said Perry had "had a very impactful role in my life and always has given me tons of laughs."

There was no immediate public reaction from the rest of the main Friends cast, though Maggie Wheeler – who played Chandler's annoying on-again, off-again girlfriend Janice – posted a photo of them together on Instagram.

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"What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry," she wrote.

And Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler's mother, wrote that she was "heartbroken." "The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock," she posted on X.

Friends, which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive global following. But even as he delivered on-air gag after gag – and earned a fortune – Perry was struggling.

He attended multiple rehabilitation clinics to combat addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a burst colon, related to drug usage, and underwent multiple surgeries.

In his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, published last year, Perry described going through detox dozens of times. He dedicated the book to "all of the sufferers out there," and wrote in the prologue: "I should be dead."

"I have mostly been sober since 2001," he wrote, "save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years."

TMZ, which first reported the news of Perry's death, said no drugs were found at the scene. The Los Angeles Times and TMZ both said there were no signs of foul play, citing anonymous sources.

Perry reunited with the cast of Friends for a reunion show in 2021 and was nominated for five Emmys, including two for guest appearances on The West Wing, but never won the prestigious award.