This one cuts deep: Matthew Perry's friends remember late star

Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow paid their own personal tributes to Perry on Wednesday

LOS ANGELES:

Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow paid their own personal tributes to the late Matthew Perry on Wednesday, mourning their beloved but troubled co-star after his shock death last month. Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994-2004, died at the age of 54, having struggled for decades with addiction and related serious health issues.

“Oh boy this one has cut deep,” said Aniston, who played Rachel on the show about six close-knit friends navigating adult life in New York. “He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the six 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 wrote on Instagram. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jennifer Aniston (@jenniferaniston)

"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," Aniston commented.

She went on, "His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been poring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever."

Aniston accompanied her post with a screenshot of a text message she received from Perry, in which he wrote: “Making you laugh made my day." Aniston explained, "It says it all."

Schwimmer, who played Ross on the show, posted a favourite photo of himself and Perry. "I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery. 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 shared.

 

 

 

 

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"And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time. Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity,” he wrote.

Perry was found unconscious in a hot tub at his house in Los Angeles last month. First responders were unable to revive him. The cause of Perry’s death is not yet known. An initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive, and the results of toxicology tests have not yet been released. Perry spoke openly about his decades-long battles with addiction and serious health problems.

Celebrity news website TMZ reported that no illicit drugs were found at his home, although several medications were discovered including anti-depressants and anxiety medication. 

Referring to Perry’s health issues, Kudrow wrote on Instagram, “Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant.” Kudrow, who penned the foreword for Perry’s brutally honest 2022 memoir, concluded, “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.”

 

 

 

 

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Perry’s costars - Aniston, Schwimmer, Kudrow, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc - released a joint statement two days after his passing, and the five reportedly attended a private funeral in Los Angeles earlier this month. On Tuesday, Cox and LeBlanc each paid their own emotional tributes to Perry on Instagram. 

"The times we had together are honestly among the favourite times of my life," wrote LeBlanc, who played Perry's roommate and best friend on the show. He shared on Instagram multiple screenshots of Friends scenes featuring the pair, including two in which they are hugging. "It was an honour to share the stage with you and to call you my friend," he wrote, adding, "Spread your wings and fly brother you're finally free."

Cox, who played Perry's love interest and, eventually, wife on the show, shared on Instagram a "Friends" clip of the famous scene in which their characters' romantic relationship was first revealed. "I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day," wrote Cox.

Her post included footage from after the scene had ended, in which Cox - in bed with Perry - cracks a racy joke for the live studio audience. "In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say," she explained. "He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind."

Perry's five costars - Cox, LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow -- released a joint statement two days after his passing. "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family," they said. 

"There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able," they added at the time. The five reportedly all attended Perry's private funeral in Los Angeles earlier this month.

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