Jennifer Aniston Pens Emotional Tribute to 'Little Brother' Matthew Perry
Jennifer Aniston
On Oct. 28, Matthew Perry's death sent shockwaves across the entertainment community. The actor's Friends co-stars were especially wrecked by the news. One by one, they've started posting personal tributes for their late friend— and Jennifer Aniston is the latest to open up about losing Perry, which she says "cut deep."
Aniston took to Instagram on Wednesday, Nov. 15, to reflect on her friendship with Perry and to honor his lasting legacy, sharing a black and white photo of the pair from what may be the first Friends table read, which Perry once texted her along with the sweet note, "Making you laugh just made my day."
"...the first of THOUSANDS of times," Aniston replied.
She also included a video clip of Chandler and Rachel saying goodbye to one another during the 10th season, ending with Perry's character bringing a bit of levity to the situation by blowing a raspberry in her ear as she hugged him tightly.
"Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before," she wrote alongside the memories, acknowledging how difficult loss and grief can be for everyone. "Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep," she continued, emphasizing how "deeply" the whole cast loves Perry by describing him as "a part of our DNA" of the cast's "chosen family."
"This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be. 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," she went on.
Since his death, Aniston has spent time "pouring over" their texts, which she says she'll keep "forever and ever," "laughing and crying then laughing again."
She turned her words directly to Perry in the final paragraph, writing, "Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying 'could you BE any crazier?' Rest little brother. You always made my day…?????."
Two days after Perry died, his Friends cast mates—Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc—broke their silence about his untimely death.
"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," they wrote in a joint statement to People. "There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."
The statement continued: "In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
Next: Courteney Cox Shares Unknown 'Friends' Backstory in Heartwarming Tribute to Matthew Perry
