A private funeral was held for Matthew Perry on Friday afternoon, attended by the actor’s Friends co-stars and other loved ones and family.
People reports that Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow gathered for the event at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. It’s also the final resting place of famous names such as Paul Walker, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and Nipsey Hussle. The funeral began at around 3pm and ended at around 5pm.
Perry died on 28 October at the age of 54. Two days later, his Friends co-stars released a joint statement mourning their colleague.
“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,” the five wrote. “In time, we will say more when we can. For now, our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world.
Perry has been very open about his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse following his rise to fame in the 90s. He became addicted to Vicodin and entered rehab after a jet ski accident in 1997. He later turned his Malibu estate into a sober living facility. A foundation in the actor’s name was set up early Friday morning to accept donations to help those struggling with addiction.
“When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing mentioned – I want helping others to be the first thing mentioned,” Perry said on the ‘Q With Tom Power’ podcast in 2022, promoting his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving that. Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to beat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it.”
