All The ‘Friends’ Cast Tributes To Matthew Perry: “This One Cuts Deep”
The world was rocked by news of Matthew Perry’s sudden death on October 28, 2023.
His fellow Friends cast – Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer – shared a joint statement two days later, saying that they needed a “moment to grieve” and mourn the “unfathomable loss” before sharing individual tributes. The tight-knit group of actors attended Matthew’s funeral on November 3, along with other friends and family.
The cast have now shared stories, messages and scenes of their friend and co-star to honour his memory. Grab the tissues, because this one hurts.
Jennifer Aniston’s tribute to Matthew Perry.
Jennifer shared a selection of snaps with her “little brother”, including a photo Matthew had sent her from a Friends rehearsal, telling her: “Making you laugh just made my day. It made my day.”
The Cake actress elaborated on how she’d been re-reading all the texts exchanged between herself and Matthew, saying it made her laugh and cry. “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,” she wrote.
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“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. 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. 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.”
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?’ Rest little brother. You always made my day.”
Jennifer also shared a poignant scene from Friends when Matthew’s character Chandler said goodbye to Jennifer’s character Rachel, before pulling out a fart joke.
Courteney Cox’s tribute to Matthew Perry.
Courteney shared an iconic scene from Friends, when Ross almost walks in on Chandler and Monica in London. She explained that it was meant to be a one-night fling, but because of the audience’s reaction, it became the start of their epic love story.
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“I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” she wrote in the caption. “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 favourites.”
“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.”
Lisa Kudrow’s tribute to Matthew Perry.
Lisa shared an old snap of the pair from their Friends days on Instagram and reminisced on how she became close with Matthew. “Shot the pilot, Friends Like Us, got picked up then immediately, we were at the NBC Upfronts. Then… you suggested we play poker AND made it so much fun while we initially bonded. Thank you for that,” she wrote.
“Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY. Thank you for your open heart in a six-way relationship that required compromise. And a lot of ‘talking’.”
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“Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant. Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have. Thank you for trusting me. 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.”
David Schwimmer’s tribute to Matthew Perry.
David shared one of the most iconic Friends looks of Ross and Chandler, from the ‘Thanksgiving Flashbacks’ episode. The pair channelled a Miami Vice vibe from the ’80s, fit with fluffed-up hair and some serious smizing.
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“Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity,” he wrote in the caption. “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. And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers.”
“This photo is from one of my favourite moments with you. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time. I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around [and saying] ‘Could there BE any more clouds?’.”
Matt LeBlanc’s tribute to Matthew Perry.
Joey and Chandler were a hilarious comedic duo, and Matt’s brand of humour shows through in his tribute to his friend. He shared a few snaps from set, including one where the pair are sitting in a canoe in the lounge, before finishing with a photo of the six co-stars in a group hug.
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“Matthew, it is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favourite times of my life,” he wrote. “It was an honour 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.”
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Image credits: NBC, Friends