Everything the ‘Friends’ Cast Has Said About the Death of Matthew Perry: Tributes and More
The late Matthew Perry will always be remembered by the Friends cast.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the show’s stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, told Us Weekly in a joint statement released days after their costar’s October 2023 death. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Perry died at age 54 on October 28, 2023. Two months after his sudden passing, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that he died from “the acute effects of ketamine.” The report, released in December 2023, ruled the death an accident, subsequently listing drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine as other factors.
While the Friends cast initially released their joint statement, the stars went on to share personal tributes and even remembered Perry in various interviews.
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Keep scrolling to see what Friends cast members have said about Perry following his death:
Courteney Cox
In a May 2024 interview, Cox said that Perry “visits” her often — even after his passing. She said that they “talk” and she believes he’s still “around,” in a spiritual sense.
“You know, he’s just so funny. He has genuinely a huge heart, obviously struggled,” the actress told CBS Sunday Morning. “I’m so thankful I got to work so closely with him for so many years.”
Jennifer Aniston
Months after his passing, Aniston recalled her last conversation with Perry.
“He was happy,” she told Variety in December 2023. “He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know.”
Aniston went on to say that they had been “texting” the morning he died. “Funny Matty,” she added. “He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
Matt LeBlanc
LeBlanc was the first Friends cast member to write a social media tribute to remember Perry.
“Matthew, It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” the actor wrote in November 2023. “It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
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Jennifer Aniston
The actress’ Instagram tribute to her late friend came in November 2023, two weeks after Perry’s death.
“Oh boy this one has cut deep,” Aniston captioned a social media post. “Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be.”
She shared sweet text messages they had exchanged, in which he said that making Aniston laugh “made my day,” and posted an old photo of them together.
“For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn’t hear the ‘laugh’ he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that,” Aniston’s caption continued. “He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple weeks, I’ve been pouring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever. I found one text that he sent me out of nowhere one day. It says it all.”
David Schwimmer
Schwimmer also waited a few weeks before posting his social media tribute.
“Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity. I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery,” the actor shared in November 2023. “You could take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, resulting in something so entirely original and unexpectedly funny it still astonishes.”
He continued: “And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers. … I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around — ‘Could there BE any more clouds?’”
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Lisa Kudrow
Kudrow started off her November 2023 tribute recalling how Perry suggested they “play poker” immediately after Friends was picked up by NBC.
“Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY. Thank you for your open heart in a six way relationship that required compromise,” she wrote. “And a lot of ‘talking.’ Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant. Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for all I learned about GRACE and LOVE through knowing you. Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew.”
Courteney Cox
Cox wrote she was “so grateful” to have Perry in her life when remembering the actor via Instagram in November 2023.
“When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now, here’s one of my favorites,” she wrote, posting a deleted scene from Friends which showed the moment her character, Monica, and Perry’s character, Chandler, slept together for the first time.
“To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one-night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story,” Cox continued. “In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say. He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind.”
