When Matthew Perry Revealed His 'Man Crush' in a Throwback Snap on Instagram

While many people had a crush on Matthew Perry, the Friends alum shared his own "man crush" in an Instagram post from back in 2020. The American-Canadian actor was apparently crushing over the 44th president of the United States Barack Obama. The 54-year-old died on October 28, 2023, from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine according to the autopsy results. 

The deceased actor posted a happy photo with Obama on February 11, 2022, where the ex-commander-in-chief put his hand on Perry's shoulder as both of them grinned from ear to ear. He captioned the image on his Instagram profile, "#mancrushmonday (Yes, that is @barackobama, and yes, he is laughing at shit that just came out of my mouth)," per Daily Mail.  

At the time, Perry only joined the social media platform just four days before he posted this snap with Obama and quickly gained love and support from his fans and amassed a following of 4.8 million in no time. His Friends co-stars like Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, and Jennifer Aniston welcomed him on Instagram by posting happy pictures with him. 

The star of the hit sitcom Friends for his role as Chandler Bing breathed his last in October 2023. His death was confirmed by Capt. Scot Williams of the Los Angeles Police Department's robbery-homicide division. Initially, the cause of death was unclear as he was found unconscious in his hot tub in his Los Angeles home, the investigation into his case finally closed in January 2024. 

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to PEOPLE that the investigation into Perry's death has finally been closed. Aside from ketamine, the other contributing factors to his death were drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder). 

Before his death, he wrote a memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in which he detailed his struggles to stay sober and his life as one of the "Friends." For PEOPLE's 2022 cover story, Perry said, "I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side again. I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober—and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction—to write it all down." 

Despite his own addiction issues, the actor advocated against drugs and alcohol and his tireless efforts were honored at the White House. The late Friends actor received a Champion of Recovery award from the Obama Administration's Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2013, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Former President Obama made efforts to rehabilitation-centered local drug courts a key component of the United Nation's fight against addiction. Perry was among those who had been a vocal supporter of the cause and verbalized his personal struggles with alcoholism and addiction to combat the issue. 

U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske gave the award to Perry at a meeting attended by Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett along with a certificate of appreciation for "giving a voice to the millions of Americans in recovery." While accepting the honor, he said, "During my darkest times, I never could have imagined receiving an award at the White House."