Celebrity
Matthew Perry’s Friends Costars Share Statement After His Death
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”
Matthew Perry’s Friends castmates have released a heartbreaking joint statement following the beloved actor’s death on Oct. 28. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer remembered Perry, who played the sarcastic and quick-witted Chandler Bing for all 10 seasons of the hit sitcom, as “family.”
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the cast said in a joint statement to People two days after Perry’s death. “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,” the statement concluded.
Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday. He was 54. The actor’s his cause of death has been “deferred,” pending additional investigation, specifically a toxicology report, according to CNN. While reports indicate that Perry died in an “apparent drowning,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office told CNN that an autopsy has been conducted, but investigators will need the toxicology report, which can take several weeks to complete, to make a ruling.
Perry’s family also released a statement following the actor’s sudden death. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” Perry’s family said in a statement to People. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”
Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as Friends executive producer and director Kevin Bright remembered Perry as “a brilliant talent” who was “always the funniest person in the room.”
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible,” Kauffman, Crane, and Bright said in a statement to Deadline. “All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words.”
“From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us,” their statement continued. “We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart. We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”
