Gone however not forgotten. Matthew Perry’s buddies and former co-stars launched heartfelt messages concerning the actor after his tragic dying at age 54 on October 28.
The actor was discovered lifeless in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles space house after his assistant returned from operating an errand, in line with TMZ. His official reason for dying remains to be pending.
Matthew was finest identified for his position as Chandler Bing on Mates, which ran from 1994 to 2004. The ensemble solid, which included Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc, was one of many largest reveals of the last decade, even incomes Matthew an Emmy nomination in 2002. The complete Mates solid reacted to Matthew’s dying in an announcement to PEOPLE on October 30.
“We’re all so totally devastated by the lack of Matthew,” the 5 actors stated. “We had been extra than simply solid mates. We’re a household,” their assertion reads. “There may be a lot to say, however proper now we’re going to take a second to grieve and course of this unfathomable loss. In time we’ll say extra, as and after we are in a position. For now, our ideas and our love are with Matty’s household, his buddies, and everybody who beloved him all over the world.”
Whereas he discovered success on display screen, Matthew’s actual life was full of ups and downs as he battled dependancy. The actor stated in his e-book that he spent greater than $9 million in his lifetime in an effort to get sober, explaining, “I’ve been in a psychological establishment, gone to remedy twice per week for thirty years, been to dying’s door.”Nevertheless, on the time of his e-book’s launch, the Massachusetts native was sober and devoted his life to serving to others battle dependancy.
Hold studying to see tributes from Matthew’s former co-stars and extra.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa thanked Matthew for the recollections they share, from the primary time the Mates solid met to the top of the present.
“Shot the pilot, Mates Like Us, received picked up then instantly, we had been on the NBC Upfronts [sic]. Then, you recommended we play poker AND made it a lot enjoyable whereas we initially bonded,” Lisa captioned an Instagram publish. “Thanks for that. Thanks for making me snicker so onerous at one thing you stated, that my muscle tissues ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY. Thanks in your open coronary heart in a six method relationship that required compromise. And plenty of ‘speaking.’ Thanks for displaying up at work while you weren’t effectively after which, being fully good. Thanks for one of the best 10 years an individual will get to have. Thanks for trusting me. Thanks for all I discovered about GRACE and LOVE by means of realizing you. Thanks for the time I received to have with you, Matthew.”
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer penned a prolonged, heartfelt tribute to her late buddy by way of Instagram as extra tributes from the solid began pouring in.
Oh boy this one has lower deep,” the Morning Present star wrote. “Having to say ‘goodbye’ to our Matty has been an insane wave of feelings that I’ve by no means skilled earlier than. All of us expertise loss sooner or later in our lives. Lack of life or lack of love. Having the ability to actually SIT on this grief means that you can really feel the moments of pleasure and gratitude for having beloved somebody that deep. And we beloved him deeply. He was such part of our DNA. We had been at all times the six of us. This was a selected household that eternally modified the course of who we had been and what our path was going to be. For Matty, he KNEW he beloved to make folks snicker. As he stated himself, if he didn’t hear the ‘snicker’ he thought he was going to die. His life actually trusted it. And boy did he achieve doing simply that. He made all of us snicker. And snicker onerous. Within the final couple weeks, I’ve been pouring over our texts to 1 one other. Laughing and crying then laughing once more. I’ll preserve them eternally and ever. I discovered one textual content that he despatched me out of nowhere in the future. It says all of it. (See the second slide…) Matty, I really like you a lot and I do know you at the moment are fully at peace and out of any ache. I discuss to you every single day… generally I can virtually hear you saying “may you BE any crazier? Relaxation, little brother. You at all times made my day.”
David Schwimmer
David took a second to reward his former co-star’s efficiency as Chandler Bing in his Instagram tribute.
“Matty, thanks for 10 unimaginable years of laughter and creativity,” he wrote. “I’ll always remember your impeccable comedian timing and supply. You possibly can take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, leading to one thing so totally unique and unexpectedly humorous, it nonetheless astonishes. And also you had coronary heart. Which you had been beneficiant with, and shared with us, so we may create a household out of six strangers.”
Courteney Cox
Courteney shared a video to Instagram of her and Matthew in character as Chandler and Monica on Mates.
“I’m so grateful for each second I had with you Matty, and I miss you every single day,” she captioned her publish. “Whenever you work with somebody as intently as I did with Matthew, there are millions of moments I want I may share. For now, right here’s one in every of my favorites. To offer a little bit backstory, Chandler and Monica had been imagined to have a one-night fling in London. However due to the viewers’s response, it grew to become the start of their love story. On this scene, earlier than we began rolling, he whispered a humorous line for me to say. He typically did issues like that. He was humorous and he was sort.”
Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc was the primary fundamental Mates solid member to share a person tribute to Matthew, doing so on Instagram on November 14. Matt posted photographs of him and Matthew’s time enjoying Joey and Chandler on Mates, receptively, with a heartfelt message to his late co-star.
“Matthew, it’s with a heavy coronary heart I say goodbye,” Matt wrote in his caption. “The instances we had collectively are actually among the many favourite instances of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to name you my buddy. I’ll at all times smile once I consider you, and I’ll always remember you. By no means. Unfold your wings and fly brother you’re lastly free. A lot love. And I suppose you’re holding the 20 bucks you owe me.”
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford, who starred alongside Matthew in Studio 60 on the Sundown Strip, posted a video of an outdated interview of the 2 of them. Within the caption, he wrote an extended tribute, starting by saying, “Matthew Perry made me snicker. Exhausting.” He continued to talk about how fantastic his humorousness was, and the methods he made him snicker.
The West Wing alum continued and spoke concerning the many fantastic qualities that the Mates actor had. “With out substances, Matt had an enormous, open coronary heart and a pyrotechnical, joyous mind. I feel probably the most lovely elements of Matt made him probably the most susceptible to the monster that he must battle for the remainder of his life,” he wrote. “His battle was heroic. They don’t have award reveals for that. They need to.”
Bradley continued and highlighted how “sort” Matthew was, and spoke about how he was a “fountain of sunshine,” even whereas battling his personal demons. He stated that he wished to “honor” his co-star’s legacy by serving to others get assist. “I’m so grateful that I had the chance to work with Matt, to spend some valuable time with him, and most of all, to be his buddy,” he concluded.
Kate Hudson
The Virtually Well-known actress shared a photograph of herself laughing at one in every of Matthew’s jokes on her Instagram Story on Monday, October 30. “We performed tennis and performed extra tennis, talked endlessly about trials and tribulations of affection after which would discuss some extra as we might snicker our a**es off after which laughed some extra,” she wrote. “As you possibly can see, to know him was to adore him. “We love you Matthew.”
John Stamos
John Stamos posted a video from his visitor look on Mates as Monica and Chandler’s potential sperm donor. He wrote about getting to spend so much of time with Matthew whereas engaged on the present, however he stated they’d been buddies lengthy earlier than that. ‘Standing backstage, able to make my entrance, Matt whispers, “The viewers goes go loopy after they see you! Prepare for some loud screams.’ I stroll by means of the door… silence. I used to be so embarrassed. “Matt walks over to the studio viewers: ‘Girls and gents, give it up for John Stamos! You guys in all probability didn’t acknowledge him at first as a result of it’s so a lot better trying in individual!’”
He concluded his publish by saying that that was a second he’d always remember. “I by no means forgot that and the world will always remember you,” he wrote.
Salma Hayek
Salma took to Instagram to pen a considerate tribute to her former movie co-star.
“Two days in the past, I woke as much as the stunning information that Matthew Perry is now not with us,” Salma wrote by way of Instagram. “It’s taken me a few days to course of this profound disappointment. There’s a particular bond that occurs while you share goals with somebody, and collectively, you’re employed in the direction of them. I used to be very moved final yr when Matthew shared on his Instagram tales how a lot he beloved Fools Rush In, and the way he thought that that movie we did collectively was in all probability his finest film. All through the years, he and I discovered ourselves reminiscing about that significant time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude. My buddy, you might be gone a lot too quickly, however I’ll proceed to cherish your silliness, your perseverance and your pretty coronary heart. Farewell, candy Matthew, we’ll always remember you.”
Ione Skye
Matthew’s A Night time within the Lifetime of Jimmy Reardon co-star Ione Skye posted screenshots of her final textual content alternate with the actor per week previous to his dying. “I’m very unhappy. Cherished this man,” she wrote.
Within the texts, the Mates star stated that he’d considered her and wished to say good day. “I hope all is effectively. I used to be meditating (I meditate now) and “In You Eyes” began enjoying. And I immediately considered you and the way lovely you might be,” he wrote. “Hope you might be wholesome and comfortable.”
In her responses, Skye confirmed like to Matthew, telling him that it was “good to listen to” from him and that she had “good recollections” of working with him. “Me too. That one afternoon I used to be sitting in my condo, and there you had been!” he wrote.
Adele
Adele took day trip of her Las Vegas residency live performance to honor Matthew on Saturday, October 28. She spoke about how a lot the character Chandler meant to her, as she spoke about Matthew’s braveness. “He was so open along with his struggles with dependancy and sobriety, which I feel is extremely, extremely courageous,” she stated in footage shared on social media. “I really like what he did for us.
Hank Azaria
Fellow actor Hank Azaria credited Matthew with serving to him get sober, by bringing him to Alcoholics Nameless for the primary time in an Instagram video. He stated that they commonly went to conferences when he first received sober. “As a sober individual, he was so caring and giving and sensible, and he completely helped me get sober,” he stated.
Earlier within the clip, he additionally spoke concerning the sitcom star’s superb humorousness. “He was simply the funniest man ever. He simply lived to snicker,” he stated.
Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown, who co-starred with Matthew on The Odd Couple, stated she was “heartbroken” to be taught of his passing in an interview with Leisure Tonight. “The very first thing, when somebody passes, you instantly undergo your photos such as you wanna bear in mind moments, and so I scrolled again to plenty of the photographs that I had from after we labored collectively,” she stated. “There’s been a lot discuss his comedy, and his capacity to lighten masses along with his reward. However his best reward was his coronary heart.”
Christina Ricci
The Addams Household alum Christina Ricci revealed that although she by no means met Matthew, she was nonetheless a serious Mates fan, and Chandler was her favourite character. “I burst into tears once I learn the information right this moment. I by no means met Matthew Perry, however I beloved him. Mates saved me quite a few instances throughout onerous and lonely instances in my life,” she wrote on Instagram. “I watched all his motion pictures. He was a genius.”
She additionally spoke about Matthew’s battles with dependancy and the way inspiring his e-book was. “I’m heartbroken this man suffered a lot in life whereas giving us a lot of himself,” she wrote. “In case you’re combating dependancy points [the book] may simply save your life. Might he lastly relaxation in peace.”
Charlie Puth
Charlie Puth was one other movie star fan who paid tribute to Matthew at one in every of his concert events. Throughout his Melbourne present, he performed “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts, which was the theme music for Mates, and the group sang alongside, as proven in a fan-shot TikTok.
Valerie Bertinelli
“Relaxation in peace, candy man,” Matthew’s former Sydney co-star wrote by way of her Instagram Story.
Morgan Fairchild
The actress who performed Chandler’s mother, Nora Bing, took to X to mirror on her former co-star.
“I’m heartbroken concerning the premature dying of my ‘son,’ Matthew Perry,” she wrote. “The lack of such a superb younger actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his buddies & household, particularly his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I labored with on Flamingo Street & Falcon Crest.”
I’m heartbroken concerning the premature dying of my “son”, Matthew Perry. The lack of such a superb younger actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his buddies & household, particularly his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I labored with on Flamingo Street & Falcon Crest. #RIPMatthew pic.twitter.com/QWMsBVJEAr
— Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair) October 29, 2023
Maggie Wheeler
The actress performed Janice, Chandler’s on-again, off-again love curiosity, on Mates for 19 episodes.
“What a loss,” Wheeler wrote by way of Instagram. “The world will miss you, Mathew Perry. The enjoyment you delivered to so many in your too-short lifetime will dwell on. I really feel so very blessed by each inventive second we shared.”
Selma Blair
“My oldest boy buddy. All of us beloved Matthew Perry, and I did particularly. On daily basis. I beloved him unconditionally. And he me,” the actress wrote by way of Instagram. “And I’m damaged. Damaged hearted. Candy goals, Matty. Candy goals.”
Rumer Willis
The daughter of Bruce Willis, who starred with Matthew in The Entire 9 Yards, recounted a loving reminiscence of Matthew by way of her Instagram Story.
“After I was a child and I used to be on set whereas he and my dad had been doing Entire 9 and Entire Ten Yards, he was so sort and humorous and candy with my sisters and me and I feel his bodily comedy and that film nonetheless makes me snicker a lot,” she wrote. “I do know he had many challenges in his life and introduced plenty of pleasure to folks along with his comedy. I hope he can relaxation peacefully.”
Justin Trudeau
The Canadian Prime Minister, who went to high school with Matthew in Ottawa, Canada, known as his dying “stunning and saddening.”
“I’ll always remember the schoolyard video games we used to play, and I do know folks all over the world are by no means going to overlook the enjoyment he introduced them,” he continued on X. “Thanks for all of the laughs, Matthew. You had been beloved — and you may be missed.”
Timothy Busfield
“Matty Perry was a gem. I had the nice, luck to behave with and in addition direct him on Studio 60 on the Sundown Strip,” Busfield stated in an announcement to Individuals. “He was a great, good man and a candy, humorous soul who will probably be missed, desperately. Not solely by his tens of millions of devoted followers, however by these co-workers and buddies who he made crumble to the ground along with his quick and searing wit.”