Matthew Perry Meant a Lot To Me
What the passing of our favorite actors tells us about ourselves.
Matthew Perry, the star behind sarcastic and sharp Chandler Bing of the hit sitcom Friends, is dead.
And I, a person that has never crossed paths with Perry or been acquainted with him personally in any shape or form, have been sobbing like a baby.
Because even though Perry was a celebrity that had absolutely no knowledge of my existence, he meant a lot to me. Friends has been one of my favorite shows since I first binged all 10 seasons back in freshman year of college. And Chandler has been my favorite character for most of the time since.
So I want to reflect on why I’ve been crying over the passing of someone I didn’t actually know, and what that tells us about fandom, emotional impact of art and media, and (of course) marketing. I also want to process the emotional pain that I’m feeling, because damn it, this sucks.
Popular Doesn’t Mean Bad
I love Friends. And I do not say that sarcastically or with exaggeration. I sincerely lov…