On February 3rd, 1959 rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson were killed in a plane accident. Twelve years later, Don McLean established that day as The Day the Music Died in his still-a-hit song American Pie.

Well, it’s safe to say, at least from my point of view, that October 28th, 2023 is The Day Sarcasm Died. The news of Matthew Perry’s death hit me hard. At first, I saw a post on Facebook and I thought it was clickbait and ignored it. Minutes later, a good friend of mine messaged me on Instagram and it became real. I started crying while the posts of his passing had overflown my Insta feed.

I feel like I lost a dear friend. From the first time I watched F.R.I.E.N.D.S, he was my favorite character. Of course I love them all and appreciate each of their unique characteristics, but Chandler stole my heart and laughs forever. His lines, his smile, his tone, his overall attitude were all to my liking. I can say by heart most of his lines and I still laugh out loud when I hear them.

After reading his memoir I felt that I knew him even better. It was like a close friend confessing his worst thoughts, most horrible experiences and greatest fears. I felt for him like for no other celebrity before. I understood that his weight fluctuations on the show were not random. I understood that when I was happy for him for shedding all the weight at the begging of season eight the first time I watched the show, in fact his drug addiction was back. I understood that the extra pounds weren’t cakes and pizzas and burgers and fries, they were gallons of alcoholic beverages to soak up the pain.

But, even more, I understood that F.R.I.E.N.D.S saved his life. The show gave him a purpose and the team gave him a family. As a child of divorce, I think he most needed that sense of belonging and the safety of a home. And F.R.I.E.N.D.S gave him that. Moreover, I understood how strong he was. Because it takes great balls to lift yourself from the shit you are going through and it takes even bigger balls to admit your mistakes publicly, in a written testimony of what shit of a behavior you’ve had. Not taking into account how famous he was… even bigger balls.

You see, that’s why I love books and movies and TV shows, that’s why I love home movies and recordings and photos. They make you immortal, they help the living be closer to you, even for a few minutes, they are like the philosopher’s stone: for the time they are watching those memories, the memories become live events. So, what I am trying to say is that I’m so glad that Matthew Perry has filmed ten seasons of F.R.I.E.N.D.S because, like so, his wit and his sarcasm and his humor have become timeless, giving us the opportunity to watch a few (or many) episodes when we ar feeling floopy.

There are many lines that come to mind when thinking about Chandler Muriel Bing. His voice, his tone, his smile, his interpretation of a whip or his sweater vests will forever have a special place in my heart. Thank you for being my friend, my moral support and my go-to unflooper for when I have a floopy day. Thank you for showing me that purpose can save your life and thank you for cheering me up every single fucking time.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S has helped me go through a lot. Whenever I have a bad day, a bad week, a bad month or even a bad year, my go to healing method is comedy. So, you have been my universal cure, my forever remedy and my life jacket in a shipwreck. I am in awe of what you managed to do while feeling so low and so lonely and so depressed and so sad. Hi, I’m Maria… could I BE missing you more?