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Charlie Puth Pays Tribute to Matthew Perry With ‘Friends’ Theme Song at Melbourne Show

The singer nodded to the beloved sitcom star during his show at Margaret Court Arena.

Charlie Puth

Charlie Puth

Kenneth Cappello

Charlie Puth was among the many stars and super fans who paid tribute to beloved sitcom actor Matthew Perry over the weekend after the Friends star was found dead on Saturday at age 54 at his home in Los Angeles.

During his show at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday night, Puth got the audience to join him for a piano version of the Rembrandts’ iconic Friends theme song, “I’ll Be there For You.”


“I dedicate this song to another song, so if it makes you think of a person that’s who it’s dedicated to,” Puth told the crowd in fan video of the moment. Puth then began tinkling out the NBC show’s bouncy intro music as the audience joined him in singing the tune’s wistful lyrics, “So no one told you life was gonna be this way/ Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA,” he began as his fans took over the “I’ll be there for you” chorus.

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Puth then subtly transitioned into his 2015 smash hit single “See You Again” from the Furious 7 soundtrack, the Wiz Khalifa collab that served as a tribute to late Fast & Furious star Paul Walker; the song was both mens’ biggest hit to date, spending 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A number of artists paid tribute to Perry over the weekend after the sitcom star was reportedly found dead in his hot tub; at press time no cause of death has been announced. Adele honored Perry during one of her Las Vegas residency shows this weekend, telling the crowd, “I’ll remember that character for the rest of my life,” Adele said of Perry’s Friends character Chandler Bing. “He’s probably the best comedic character of all time.”

Watch fan video of Puth’s Perry tribute below.

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This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Panos A. Panay
Raphaële Sohier

Panos A. Panay

Features

Recording Academy President Panos A. Panay on Canada, Diljit Dosanjh and the Grammys’ Global Future

The influential music executive returned to a place he has called home at NXNE for the Billboard Global Summit. Here's why it was particularly meaningful for him.

The music landscape is changing quickly, and Panos A. Panay, the President of the Recording Academy and the Grammys, is right in the middle of it.
This week (June 11), Panay interviewed Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh as part of the Billboard Summit at NXNE. For him, it represented a global shift in music where sounds carrying different cultures and languages are pushing against the "Anglo-American" mainstream. Celebrating the universality of music in the diverse city of Toronto holds special meaning for him.
Panay spent some formative years in Canada, and says in some ways he considers it as much like home as Cyprus, where he was born. It shaped how he sees the world and his career, and it's been important in his work at the Grammys, which is also going through changes. Since he started his job in 2021, along with CEO Harvey Mason Jr., Panay has been helping the Academy adapt to a new generation of artists, represent diversity and navigate the changing music scene.

Before he was at the Recording Academy, Panay founded the online platform Sonicbids, which brought him to NXNE many times. Again, it feels like coming home.

In this exclusive interview with Billboard Canada, Panos discusses Dosanjh, how the Grammys are changing and the future of Canadian music.

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