Friends star Matthew Perry, 54, has been tragically found dead after 'drowning in his jacuzzi'. The much-loved actor was discovered unconscious in his Los Angeles home.

Emergency services rushed to his home after receiving a call at 4.07pm that the star had suffered a cardiac arrest. But when they arrived, they reportedly found the star lifeless in his jacuzzi.

According to TMZ, the actor had returned home following a game of pickleball and sent his assistant out on an errand. But when the aide returned home just two hours later, he found Perry unresponsive and immediately called for help.

Police sources have claimed that the beloved star had drowned, treating the situation as a 'water rescue,' according to NBC.

There were no drugs found at the scene nor did it seem that there was any foul play involved.

The Friends' official Twitter account confirmed his death, as they posted: "We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry's passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans." A source added that there was no sign of foul play and that robbery-homicide detectives are investigating his death.

In a chilling last post on his Instagram, shared earlier this week, the star shared images of him in his jacuzzi, saying: 'Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman.'

He also shared a picture on Instagram with his father just two weeks ago.

In the snap, the actor, 54, who wore tracksuit bottoms and a polo shirt, smiled with John, 82, as they held cups of fizzy drinks. He captioned his post: "Here is me, and my father John, both holding a beverage."

After small roles in Growing Pains, Beverly Hills 90210 and Dream On, his 10 seasons on Friends made him one of Hollywood's most recognisable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.

The actor, who played Chandler Bing, previously revealed he spent weeks in a coma as the result of drug abuse. When he was 49, he said, he experienced an opioid overdose which caused his colon to burst. His family had been told there was only a 2% chance of his survival. Afterward, Matthew went on a road to recovery.

For nine months after the incident, he used a colostomy bag and underwent 14 surgeries on his stomach. Plus, he went through quite a few trips to rehab in an effort to overcome his addiction.

He told People: "The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live. I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that."

Speaking about his recovery, a longtime friend of Matt's – who was in recovery with him – told DailyMail.com: "Everyone is in a total state of shock. People are crying on the phone and struggling to accept this news."

"It's no secret that he struggled with drugs and alcohol for years but the last time I spoke to him, which was within the last few weeks, he seemed to be in a good place."

"He was upbeat and sounded sober and positive. He'd been to rehab 17 times and nearly died from opioid abuse but he was someone who was sincere about taking his life, and his sobriety, one day at a time."

"It's such tragic news. Everyone is praying he didn't relapse. Matt was a genuinely lovely guy. He was always the first to welcome newcomers to the group and would always volunteer to help and be of service. We are all struggling to come to terms with this terrible news."

Despite playing one of the leading roles, Matthew also previously admitted he doesn't remember certain parts of his time on Friends.

In his memoir, he confessed that watching the show was a struggle as it reminded him of his difficult times. "I didn't watch the show, and haven't watched the show, because I could go, drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine," he added later.

"I could tell season by season by how I looked. That's why I don't wanna watch it, because that's what I see."

He also mentioned how his appearance on the series made it hard for him to watch. "I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128 lbs, I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people – and that's why I can't watch the show, 'cause I was brutally thin'," he revealed.

Matthew stated: "I had a rule that I would never drink or do drugs while working," and "Because I had too much respect for the five people I was working with. So I was never wasted while working."

However, he added: "The thing that always makes me cry… is that it's not fair. It's not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn't."

He admitted to often arriving at work "extremely hungover", where he was shaking so much that he had to try and hide his shaky hands from the camera.

The show ended in 2004 after a decade, which saw the group of friends bid farewell to the audience and each other.

In his memoir, Matthew shared that while everyone was "sobbing" over the final, he felt "numb" and "nothing".

He wasn't sure if the numbness he felt was due to the strong mix of drugs he was on, or because he felt "generally dead inside".

Matthew expressed his hope to be well enough to watch the show again in the near future.

During a chat with CBC, he shared: "I think I'm gonna start to watch it, because it really has been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations."

Ben Winston, who directed Friends, previously praised Matthew saying: "'I loved working with him. He's a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show. I felt just happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this."

Matthew is best known for Friends, but he's also had success in other acting roles. He's appeared in TV shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, Scrubs, The Odd Couple, Growing Pains, and more. He's also starred in films such as The Kid, 17 Again, Fools Rush In, and others.

In recent years, Matthew has kept a low profile. After publishing his memoir, he rarely made public appearances. In September, he looked healthier and told Whoopi on The View that he was "doing really well." He said: "Things are going great in my life. I wrote a book so that's why I'm wearing glasses because I'm an author."

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