The entertainment world is reeling from the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, who passed away unexpectedly on Saturday at the age of 54. According to multiple reports, Perry was found unresponsive at his home in the Los Angeles area after an apparent drowning.
Tributes have poured in for Perry, who rose to fame for his role as Chandler Bing in the popular 1990s sitcom. The show ran for 10 seasons from 1994-2004 and also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
Los Angeles Dodgers organist Dieter Ruehle honored Perry at a recent Los Angeles Kings game by playing the “Friends” theme song, “I’ll Be There for You,” by The Rembrandts, per Los Angeles Magazine:
[🔊WATCH AUDIO ON] @LAKings pay tribute to longtime fan Matthew Perry by playing the #Friends theme song during Saturday’s game, hours after the actor’s unexpected death. pic.twitter.com/ry71BgyJsb
— Los Angeles Magazine (@LAmag) October 29, 2023
Perry was a longtime hockey fan and attended several Kings games over the years. Among other sports teams he supported were the New England Patriots, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Blue Jays.
Perry also threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium during the 2012 season and attended several Dodgers games.
Matthew Perry among tributes by Dieter Ruehle
Ruehle is known to pay tribute to late celebrities by way of the organ. In 2017, he played Linkin Park’s “Numb” at Dodger Stadium following the loss of lead vocalist Chester Bennington.
Ruehle also honored Swedish DJ Avicii and Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher after their respective deaths.
Ruehle has been the organist for the Kings since 1989, aside from a six-year hiatus in 1992-1998, and replaced Nancy Bea as the Dodgers full-time organist in 2016.
In addition to the Dodgers and Kings, Ruehle played the organ for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2001-2016, San Jose Sharks (1992-1997) and Phoenix Coyotes (1997-1998).
Last year, Ruehle played the organ for the United States men’s and women’s hockey teams at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
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