Opinion | Matthew Perry Was a Friend to Gen X

As much as his contemporary Kurt Cobain, Matthew Perry was an icon of Generation X. “Friends” was the sitcom that defined us, and Mr. Perry’s Chandler Bing was its defining character. “Hi, I’m Chandler. I make jokes when I’m uncomfortable” was his signature line. When people say things like, “Could this be any more awkward?” it’s a Bingism.

Chandler was nearly Perry’s double: a tortured loner for whom cynicism was body armor. To the surprise of no one who read his nightmare addiction memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” he died prematurely on Saturday, at 54. His life finally ended in his hot tub in Los Angeles, but there were many occasions in which he nearly died from the effects of his addiction to alcohol and drugs.