The real estate developer who purchased the Los Angeles home where actor Matthew Perry died last year has said she plans to keep some of the legacy the “Friends” star left behind.
The Mid-Century Modern home sold in an off-market deal earlier this month for $8.55 million to Arizona-based real estate developer and movie producer Anita Verma-Lallian, records with PropertyShark show.
“The moment I walked into the home, I absolutely fell in love with the features, especially the view of the Pacific Ocean. We knew it was ‘the one’ and decided to write an offer on it immediately,” Verma-Lallian wrote in a statement on Instagram on Thursday.
Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the long-running sitcom “Friends,” was found unresponsive in the property’s hot tub last October at the age of 54. In August, five people, including Perry’s assistant and two doctors, were charged in connection with his death.
“We chose to honor the positive aspects of the previous owner’s life, his immense talent and all the joy he brought to so many people,” Verma-Lallian wrote. “The decision to purchase the home had nothing to do with the previous owner, just our love of the home.”
Verma-Lallian is the founder and CEO of Arizona Land Consulting, a Phoenix-based consulting service that specializes in commercial real estate, and Camelback Productions, a film production company.
“As a real estate developer myself, I believe every property has a history that we may or may not know about, and every home carries the energy that the current owner brings to it,” Verma-Lallian said, adding that she plans to use the property as a vacation home.
“I am Hindu, and it’s customary to do a blessing and prayer anytime you buy a new home,” she added. “We were so lucky to have our Panditji [priest] from Arizona come to the house to do the blessing.”
Built in 1965, the home in Pacific Palisades has four bedrooms, ocean views, wine storage and walls of glass.
Perry bought the place in 2020 for $6 million using a trust tied to his business manager, records show. He embarked on extensive renovations, which included adding the pool and a Batman-inspired red LED-lit bat signal at the bottom, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news of the sale.
“We do plan to keep some of the design elements,” Verma-Lallian wrote. “The Batman logo in the pool is definitely staying.”