After news broke that Friends star Matthew Perry had died on Saturday, his co-stars on the iconic sitcom began paying tribute to the Chandler Bing actor.
“We are all so devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are family. There is so much to say, but for now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer wrote in a statement to People on Monday. “As time goes on, we will say more as we are able. For now, our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world”.
Some of Perry’s co-stars on the show also paid tribute. Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Janice in the first four seasons of Friends, wrote on Instagram, “What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short life will live on. I feel so blessed by every creative moment we shared”.
Paget Brewster, whose Friends character Kathy dated Chandler in season 4, wrote to X: “I am so very sad to hear about Matthew Perry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though… He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there”.
Perry starred in 236 episodes of Friends over 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. His portrayal of Chandler was a mix of sweetness and sarcasm that made him a fan favourite and a pop culture icon. The actor was one of the six core “Friends” of the title, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
“Friends” was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002. In 2021, the cast reunited for the Max special “Friends: The Reunion”.
Beyond his Friends family, other Hollywood stars including Mira Sorvino, Josh Charles and Selma Blair paid tribute to Perry, remembering him as a “sweet, troubled soul” and a “great actor”.
Outside of ‘Friends’, Perry starred in shows including 2006’s ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’, 2012’s ‘Go On’ and a 2015 ‘Odd Couple’ revival, as well as films including 1997’s ‘Fools Rush In’, 2000’s ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ and 2009’s ’17 Again’. Perry also acted on stage, with credits including 2003’s “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” and a 2016 production of “The End of Longing,” both staged in London.
The actor has been very open about his long battle with drugs and alcohol, which he documented in detail in his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’, published in 2022.
