Matthew Perry Starred In One Of The Most Heartbreaking Episodes Of A Hit '80s Sitcom

The late Matthew Perry wasn't on the classic '80s sitcom "Growing Pains" for very long, but it was a memorable appearance with a tragic ending. The future "Friends" star played Carol Seaver's college boyfriend Sandy, who dies after a drunk driving accident in Season 4.

"Growing Pains" was no stranger to message episodes. Previous seasons had tackled drug use and suicide. Executive producer Steve Marshall told The LA Times that he was inspired to make an episode about drunk driving after learning that his 14-year-old daughter had been "experimenting with drinking." He and the other producers decided that an episode where a main character drives drunk but then learns their lesson wouldn't have enough of an impact on young viewers of the ABC series. Somebody needed to die.

Enter Perry's character, a deliberately likable and handsome young man who Carol started dating in Season 4's 11th episode. He appeared again in Episode 15. Then in Episode 20, "Second Chance," which aired on April 12, 1989, Sandy gets into a car accident after going to a bar. At first it looks like he's going to be okay, but he dies of internal bleeding in the hospital.

"Second Chance" ended with a message explaining that 31 people had been injured or killed in alcohol-related accidents since the episode began. "We didn't want this to be strictly a utilitarian character," Marshall told The LA Times. "We wanted it to be somebody that the audience knew a little bit, maybe had grown to care about."

Sandy was marked for death from the moment he first appeared on "Growing Pains." The LA Times article notes that the writers included a scene in that debut appearance that showed the character was "no stranger to having a drink now and then" in a bit of grim foreshadowing. But if Sandy was always meant to die, Matthew Perry might not have known when he joined the show.

A Chicago Sun-Times article (via the writer's portfolio website) states that Perry was surprised when he learned he was getting killed off in one of the most shocking TV deaths of the '80s. "I was all ready to buy a house, but then I was off the show," Perry said, though he added that he ultimately thought it was a worthy sacrifice considering the anti-drunk driving message.

"I loved being on it and hated to leave, but I think the way they handled the death was really done well," Perry said. "Sandy was such a normal, all-American kid, and to have him die like that sent the message across to kids that drinking and driving don't mix for anybody. I think it was a brave decision on the part of the writers."