By Wonderwall.com Editors
5:00pm PST, Nov 15, 2023
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"Friends" star Matthew Perry died at 54 on Oct. 28.
The actor was discovered in a hot tub at his home in the Los Angeles area, where he appeared to have drowned. According to TMZ, Matthew played pickleball that morning, then sent his assistant on an errand after he returned home. When the assistant arrived back at the house, he found Matthew unresponsive and called 911.
In the wake of the tragedy, celebrity friends, politicians, famous fans and former co-stars — including his "Friends" castmates — took to social media to mourn the late comedy star…
Jennifer Aniston mourned "Friends" co-star Matthew Perry in an emotional Instagram post on Nov. 15 after taking time to process his death.
"Oh boy this one has cut deep… Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 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 began her post, which was accompanied by a black-and-white photo of her and Matthew on the "Friends" set, a screengrab of a text they exchanged and a heartbreaking clip from their show about saying goodbye.
"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 continued.
"He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple weeks, I've been pouring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I'll keep them forever and ever. I found one text that he sent me out of nowhere one day. It says it all. (See the second slide…)," she added.
"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?'" she wrote, concluding her post, "Rest little brother. You always made my day…"
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On Nov. 14 — after taking a few weeks to mourn privately — Courteney Cox shared a loving public tribute to her on-screen husband alongside some hilarious videos on Instagram.
"I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day," she began her post.
"When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here's one of my favorites.
"To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London. But because of the audience's reaction, it became the beginning of their love story.
"In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say.
He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind," she concluded.
MORE: Stars we lost in 2023
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"Friends" co-star Matt LeBlanc shared a tribute to Matthew Perry more than two weeks after his death after taking time to mourn privately.
"Matthew, it is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I'll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you're finally free. Much love. And I guess you're keeping the 20 bucks you owe me," he captioned a slideshow of photos on Instagram.
MORE: See the last photos of Matthew Perry before his death
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Matthew Perry's "Friends" co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — released a statement to People magazine addressing his sudden death at 54 shortly after his passing, waiting a few weeks to say more…
"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. 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. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world," they said in their initial cast statement.
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"I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts. We were both there for most of the summer doing plays. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer. He had shot the pilot of 'Friends' but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was. We stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart, but I was always happy to see him when I did. I am super sad today, as so many of us are. I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do." –Gwyneth Paltrow
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"Matthew was the first friend I made in Los Angeles when I moved there. I was 21, he was 16," Hank Azaria — who called Matthew Perry "the funniest man ever" — said in a tribute video on Instagram. (He went on to detail how they made a failed pilot together.)
"Matthew and I became really good friends — and we were really more like brothers for a long time. We drank a lot together, we laughed a lot together, we were there for each other in the early days of our career," he continued.
"I really loved him. A lot of us who were close to him felt like we lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago because — as he documented in his autobiography — there was so much suffering," Hank said, adding, "I had to pick up and put down that biography like 11 times, it was so painful for me to read."
Continued Hank, "I'm a sober guy for 17 years, and I wanna say that, the night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in. The whole first year I was sober, we went to meetings together. He was so caring and giving and wise. And he totally helped me get sober. And I really wish he could've, you know, found the… found it in himself to stay with the sober life more consistently…"
"It's heartbreaking for those of us who loved him and knew him really well personally. We just missed him. We just missed him. It's one of the terrible things about this disease, is it just takes away the person you love," he added.
Hank concluded his lengthy video, "Professionally, as an actor, he was so brilliant. I just wish we — I and the world — could have gotten what the rest of his career would've been."
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"Really struggling to find the words. You were so loved, Matthew. I loved you dearly. Thank you for the belly laughs. You brought joy to so many. We already miss you… sending all of my love to your family and friends" —Brooke Shields
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"Rest in peace, sweet man" –Matthew Perry's "Sydney" co-star Valerie Bertinelli
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"I met Matthew Perry when he was just a funny kid. Always smiling. I played hockey with his dad, John Bennett Perry, in charity hockey games for many years. Matt joined the team as a teenager. He will always be loved by all of us. Somewhere today, he's making the Universe laugh." —"Full House" star Dave Coulier
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Ione Skye took to social media to share her last text exchange with Matthew Perry, her co-star in 1988's "A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon."
"Hi! I hope all is well. I was meditating (I meditate now) and 'In Your Eyes' started playing. And I instantly thought of how beautiful you are," Matthew texted her on Oct. 15 — a reference to a memorable song from her 1989 movie "Say Anything." She replied, "Awe. I love that. Xo," leading him to respond, "Hope you are healthy and happy."
Her reply? "Yes I am both. I think! Good to hear from you. I only have nice memories with you." Matthew responded, "Me too. That one afternoon, I was just sitting in my apartment, and there you were!"
The actress, who also shared a photo of herself with Matthew when they were both very young, captioned the text exchange, "My last exchange a week ago. I'm very, very sad. Loved this guy."
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"What a loss.The world will miss you Mathew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared." –Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice — Chandler Bing's ex — on "Friends" alongside Matthew Perry
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"We were a gang way back. We all grew up together going to the Formosa, North and constantly laughing. Matt, Roger, David, Roxana. We played dare and Matt had to say ridiculous things to girls at the bar. We just always had fun and supported each other. You would always find us all together in a booth speaking in our own made up language. And yes, Matt always had THAT sense of humor.
"Matt and I had a date and it was on Valentine's Day. He wanted to get a reservation at a restaurant in Malibu but couldn't so my dad got the reservation for him. We went and he talked about my dad's Irish persuasiveness the majority of the night.
"Our friendship spanned a long time. A lifetime really. I know many are hurting, especially our little gang. He will be missed by many and definitely by us. Yes. I could be more poetic or say things better but right now, shock and sadness prevail." –Shannen Doherty
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Adele paused her residency show in Las Vegas to honor Matthew Perry, telling the audience, she'd "never met [Matthew] in my life," but said she'll remember his "Friends" character, Chandler Bing, "for the rest of my life." Of Chandler, she said, "He's probably the best comedic character of all time."
Adele added, "It is always so shocking, especially someone that made you laugh and who brought so much joy to your life that you don't know. This is what I find so strange, I never met him in my life. There is something, you feel so sad about it especially because you don't necessarily know what was going on."
Adele, who praised Matthew for being "so open with his struggles with addiction and sobriety, which I think is incredibly, incredibly brave," also dedicated her song "When We Were Young" to the late actor.
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"Matthew Perry's passing is shocking and saddening. I'll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved — and you will be missed." –Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was one of Matthew's classmates growing up in Canada
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"I'm heartbroken about the untimely death of my 'son,' Matthew Perry. The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I'm sending love and condolences to his friends and family, especially his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I worked with on 'Flamingo Road' and 'Falcon Crest.' #RIPMatthew" –Morgan Fairchild, who played Matthew's mother on "Friends"
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"A heartbreaking loss" —Kerry Washington
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"My oldest boy friend. All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I'm broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams." –Selma Blair
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"Matty was always the funniest person in the room. And the KINDEST. He was kind. Matty, remember when we used to go play bingo at that church in the valley? You made me laugh that painful kind of laugh. A cry laugh. You made me cry-laugh. My condolences to all who loved him." –Alyssa Milano, who shared her thoughts alongside a clip of Matthew on her show "Who's the Boss"
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"RIP Matthew Perry, 54. The 'Friends' star was a great actor, but by his own admission, a very tormented guy. His recent autobiography about his addiction-ravaged life was one of the most powerful, honest and revealing I've ever read. Such sad news."–Piers Morgan
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"This man brought so much joy and light to so many around the world. He was such a huge part of the Warner Bros. family and he will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, Matthew Perry" —Jennifer Hudson
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"Matty Perry was a gem. I had the great, good fortune to act with and also direct him on 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,'" Timothy Busfield told People magazine in a statement.
"He was a good, good man and a sweet, funny soul who will be missed, desperately. Not only by his millions of devoted fans, but by those co-workers and friends who he made crumble to the floor with his fast and searing wit.
"He told me that he once spent an entire evening entertaining a famous director. Taking him to one club after another, thinking to himself 'he really likes me, maybe he'll hire me.' It wasn't until the following morning, after a great night, that he discovered it wasn't the famous director at all. He was just some guy. He told that story on himself. That's what kind of man he was.
"Happy Trails, brother. I'll miss you."
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"Our #OddCouple family suffered a great loss today. The entire entertainment world has. I am too sad about the news to say more than this: @mattyperry4 was a sweetheart who deserved more peace in this life. I am heartbroken to hear of his passing. And am sad for the great talent the world has lost because of it." –Matthew's "The Odd Couple" co-star Yvette Nicole Brown
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"Oh no!!! Matthew Perry!! You sweet, troubled soul!! May you find peace and happiness in Heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit!!!"–Mira Sorvino
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"A high school classmate died today. So sad. Gone too soon. RIP" –Melissa Rivers
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"I'm shocked, we all are! Too soon, so young but heaven gets another funny angel!"–Melissa Joan Hart
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"RIP Mathew Perry" –Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
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"Shocked and saddened to just hear about the passing of Matthew Perry in a tragic drowning. He is one of the many talented and incredible success stories from my hometown of Ottawa Canada. Rest in peace, Matthew." –Tom Green
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"What a wonderful and unique talent. He will be long remembered and cherished for the gift of his work and sorely missed by so, so many." –Jason Alexander
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"I'm sad to hear about Matthew Perry passing. When I was a kid and I was on set while he and my dad were doing 'The Whole Nine [yards]' and 'The Whole 10 Yards' he was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me and I think his physical comedy and that movie still makes me laugh so much. I know he had many challenges in his life and brought a lot of joy to people with his comedy. I hope he can rest peacefully." —Rumer Willis
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"RIP Matthew. My heart goes out to his family and all who he was dear to. What a great guy, so sad" –Ian Ziering
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"He struggled with so much addiction and was brave enough to be open and honest about it. I'm so sorry to his family and friends who are getting this news today. Nothing short of heartbreaking. Rest in love, Matthew Perry" –Olivia Munn
