Whenever a major public figure dies, grief manifests itself in a number of different ways, and not all of them are positive. Matthew Perry meant an awful lot to an even greater number of people for his era-defining contributions to the world of entertainment, but the darkest corners of the internet always find a way to disrespect a tragic situation almost as soon as it unfolds.
It was only hours after news of the Friends icon’s passing broke that the worst side of social media used it to perpetuate a conspiracy theory, while the remaining five core cast members have been coming under criticism in certain quarters because their first port of call following the death of somebody that was integral to their lives for almost 30 years wasn’t to log onto their socials and post a tribute.

Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get any more shameful, though, the most tasteless avenues of internet culture have decided to invoke the name of Keanu Reeves to make light of Perry’s heartbreaking death at the age of just 54. Obviously, we’re not going to condone or draw attention to what’s being said for reasons that should explain themselves, but you can probably guess where it all stems from.
A couple of passages in Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing made reference to Reeves when he was reflecting on losing friends, colleagues, and contemporaries including River Phoenix and Heath Ledger, which it should be noted he issued an apology for and pledged to retract from future editions at the time after catching wind of the backlash.
And yet, those comments are now being used against him to disgrace Perry’s memory less than 48 hours after passing away. Make no mistake about it, though, Keanu Reeves would be absolutely ashamed of anyone using his name for such contemptible purposes.
Published: Oct 30, 2023 01:01 pm