Matthew Perry Laid to Rest in Los Angeles

Cast member Matthew Perry attends the premiere of the film "17 Again" in Los Angeles April 14, 2009. (Reuters)
Cast member Matthew Perry attends the premiere of the film "17 Again" in Los Angeles April 14, 2009. (Reuters)
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Matthew Perry Laid to Rest in Los Angeles

Cast member Matthew Perry attends the premiere of the film "17 Again" in Los Angeles April 14, 2009. (Reuters)
Cast member Matthew Perry attends the premiere of the film "17 Again" in Los Angeles April 14, 2009. (Reuters)

Actor Matthew Perry, who died on Saturday at age 54, was laid to rest on Friday at a Los Angeles cemetery in a service attended by relatives and castmates from the hit 1990s television sitcom "Friends," show business media reported, citing photographs.

Mourners gathered at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, less than a mile from the Warner Brothers studio where the show was filmed. It is also the final resting place of numerous Hollywood A-listers including Michael Jackson, Lucille Ball and Elizabeth Taylor.

Perry, who played wise-cracking Chandler Bing on "Friends" from 1994 to 2004, was found dead in his Los Angeles home, generating an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow celebrities.

The five surviving co-stars of the show paid tribute on Monday to their fallen castmate in a joint message lamenting his death as an "unfathomable loss."

Media including TMZ and the New York Post's Page Six reported Friday's event, posting long-distance and aerial photographs of people in attendance.

All five "Friends" co-stars - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer - were there, TMZ said.

Page Six said Perry's father, John Bennett Perry, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, were also there.

In all, about 20 people dressed in black attended and gathered around a burial plot, TMZ said.

Forest Hills did not respond to a Reuters request for confirmation.

The "Friends" co-stars issued a joint statement on Tuesday, saying they were "utterly devastated by the loss," adding that they would have more to say in time.

The cause and manner of Perry's death are to be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, following completion of an autopsy with toxicology tests.

Perry's death came one year after publication of his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," which chronicled his decades-long struggle with addiction to prescription painkillers and alcohol. At the time, Perry said he had been sober for about 18 months.

Also on Friday, a foundation in Perry's name was launched to support people struggling with addiction.

The Matthew Perry Foundation "will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible," according its website.

The website leads with a quote from Perry that says, "When I die, I don't want 'Friends' to be the first thing that's mentioned - I want helping others to be the first thing that's mentioned."



Universal to Open First European Theme Park Near London

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech about the building in the UK of the first Universal theme park and resort in Europe by US media giant Comcast Corp during a visit to Bedford, north of London, on April 9, 2025. (AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech about the building in the UK of the first Universal theme park and resort in Europe by US media giant Comcast Corp during a visit to Bedford, north of London, on April 9, 2025. (AFP)
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Universal to Open First European Theme Park Near London

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech about the building in the UK of the first Universal theme park and resort in Europe by US media giant Comcast Corp during a visit to Bedford, north of London, on April 9, 2025. (AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech about the building in the UK of the first Universal theme park and resort in Europe by US media giant Comcast Corp during a visit to Bedford, north of London, on April 9, 2025. (AFP)

US media giant Comcast Corp has chosen an area north of London for its first Universal theme park and resort in Europe, pledging to build rides and attractions based on its movie franchises that it hopes will rival Disneyland Paris.

The group, which owns the Jurassic Park and Back to the Future movie franchises and the Harry Potter theme park license, said the park in Bedford would create 20,000 jobs during construction and a further 8,000 across the hospitality and creative industries when it opens in 2031.

It is expected to attract 8.5 million visitors in its first year, a number currently only exceeded in Europe by Disneyland Paris to the east of the French capital.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and finance minister Rachel Reeves joined Comcast bosses to announce the theme park on Wednesday.

"This will drive growth here and across the country," Starmer said.

The Labor government has pledged to boost investment in infrastructure since it was elected last year, and Britain's economy needs fresh momentum after the highest tax-raising budget since 1993 in October dented business confidence.

The government has pledged to speed up planning decisions and the announcement comes after it approved the expansion of Luton Airport, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Universal site, boosting the area's international connectivity.

"This (theme park) is our 'Plan for Change' in action, bringing investment, bringing opportunity, growth, jobs and, of course, joy to Britain," Starmer said.

Universal has five resorts and parks, in the US states of California and Florida as well as in Singapore, Japan and China, offering rides and attractions based on its movie franchises.

Plans for the new site include a park, featuring several themed lands, a 500-room hotel and a retail, dining and entertainment complex.

Comcast President Mike Cavanagh showed Starmer the plan in London on Tuesday, saying he "could not be more excited" to create a Universal theme park and resort in the heart of the United Kingdom.

Comcast bought a 500-acre former brickworks in Bedfordshire, about 55 miles north of London, in 2023 and had been in talks with the government since last year. It already owns Sky, which is Europe's biggest pay-TV business.

The theme park and resort are subject to planning permission, the government said.