David Schwimmer was spotted heading to his New York apartment a day after he and his Friends co-stars paid tribute to Matthew Perry.
Schwimmer, who played Ross on the long-running sitcom, was seen wearing a baseball cap and face mask as he left his Manhattan home.
The 56-year-old, who starred alongside Perry throughout the decade-long run of “Friends,” appeared dejected.
Just 24 hours earlier, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Schwimmer signed a statement telling fans they were heartbroken by the news of Perry’s death on Saturday.
The cast told People: “We are all deeply devastated by the loss of Matthew.” We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.’
David Schwimmer was seen wearing a baseball cap and face mask as he returned to his Manhattan home on Tuesday
The 56-year-old, who starred alongside Matthew Perry throughout the decade of Friends, appeared dejected
Courteney Cox starred in the hit sitcom as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay
“There is so much to say, but for now we will take a moment to grieve and process this incredible loss.”
The stars continued: “In time we will say more as we are able.”
“Right now our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Perry famously played the role of Chandler Bing in the popular sitcom, alongside Aniston as Rachel, Cox as Monica, LeBlanc as Joey, Kudrow as Phoebe and Schwimmer as Ross.
Friends, which followed the lives of six 20-something friends living in New York, was a huge hit worldwide when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and reruns remain popular years later.
On Sunday, Page Six reported that the cast was “devastated” by the loss of their “brother” Matthew.
“The cast is suffering from the loss of their brother because that’s exactly what Matty was – their brother,” an industry source told the news outlet, adding: “It’s just devastating.”
Perry was found underwater in his hot tub by his assistant, who lifted his head to give him some air, first responders revealed.
But when the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the Friends star’s Pacific Palisades home on Saturday and lifted him from the hot tub, he was already dead.
Captain Erik Scott of the LAFD said, “City of Los Angeles firefighters responded.” [and] found an adult male unconscious in a freestanding hot tub.
“A bystander had lifted the man’s head above the water and brought him to the edge, then firefighters pulled him out of the water when they arrived.”
“Unfortunately, a quick medical examination revealed that the man had died before first responders arrived.
“The circumstances are being investigated by the LAPD and the LA County Medical Examiner.” “We grieve with families and friends who unexpectedly lose a loved one.”
Schwimmer, Aniston, Cox, Kudrow and LeBlanc signed a statement Monday telling fans they were heartbroken by the news of Perry’s death
Schwimmer and his co-stars said they were “completely devastated by the loss of Matthew.”
Perry is believed to have drowned, but an official cause of death has not yet been determined.
An initial autopsy result has been “postponed” and toxicology reports are to follow. This came after a 15-second 911 call came in that revealed the moment his assistant called 911 to report a cardiac arrest.
Recording of the moment emergency responders rushed to the scene has been shared, detailing a drowning accident – known as Medical Emergency 9.
A first responder can be heard saying over the radio, “Agent 23. Rescue 23. EMS 9.” In response to the drowning.’
The actor has been open about his struggles with opiates and alcohol, but has said in recent interviews that he is clean.
First responders are said to have found antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications on the property – but there were no signs of illegal drugs.
The Los Angeles County coroner has classified Perry’s cause of death as “deferred,” pending final toxicology test results.
On Sunday afternoon, the coroner released his body to the family but said the cause of death had not yet been determined.
The coroner’s office may release initial results within a few days, or it may take six to eight weeks to receive final results of toxicology tests.
Schwimmer is seen here alongside Perry and Matt LeBlanc, who all appeared on the hit series
Schwimmer as Dr. Ross Geller, Perry as Chandler Bing – pictured in 1998
Perry wrote in his memoirs published last year that he spent $9 million trying to get sober, revealing that he attended 6,000 AA meetings, went to rehab 15 times and detoxed 65 times have.
He said he overcame the addiction in 2021 and is believed to be living a healthier lifestyle.
He had taken up pickle ball – a game similar to tennis and table tennis – and usually played it twice a day, friends said.
Opening up about his drug abuse and the toll it took on his body, The Whole Nine Yards star confessed that he took up to 55 Vicodin tablets a day, which contributed to his weight dropping to just 128 pounds dropped.
“I didn’t know how to stop,” Perry admitted in an interview with People last year, before offering an analogy that explains the power drugs and alcohol had over him at the height of his television career.
“If the police came to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’ll take you to jail,’ I would start packing.”
“I couldn’t stop because the disease and addiction are progressive. So it gets worse as you get older,” he explained.
Perry believed he was doing a pretty good job of hiding his drug and alcohol use from his co-stars, but eventually everyone knew he was in trouble and did their best to support him.
‘[They] “We were understanding and patient,” he recalled of the Friends cast.
“It’s like penguins.” Penguins in nature: When one is sick or seriously injured, the other penguins surround it and support it.
“They run around it until the penguin can walk on his own.” That’s exactly what the cast did for me.”
For a time, Perry believed he could hide behind his infectious humor and move forward in life on the wings of Friends’ success.
“I thought if I was funny all the time I would get through,” he said. ‘I thought [Friends] wanted to fix everything. That was not the case.’
Perry is pictured early last week, the last time he was seen in public before he was found dead in his LA home
People stand in front of floral tributes to actor Matthew Perry in front of the home that was used as an exterior shot in the TV show “Friends in New York” on Sunday
Ultimately, Perry would get clean and sober in 2001, but he estimated he relapsed “60 or 70 times” over the years, according to his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing.” emerges.
Along the way, he completed many stays in rehab facilities and suffered a number of serious health problems, including a five-month hospitalization in 2018 after his colon ruptured due to excessive opioid use.
Perry admitted in his memoirs that he was given only a two percent chance of survival during his hospital stay, but in the end he would survive.
“I’m an extremely grateful guy. I’m grateful to be alive, that’s for sure. And that gives me the opportunity to do anything,” he shared with obvious emotion during the 2022 People interview.
Perry went on to reveal that part of his inspiration for writing an open and honest memoir, full of ups and downs, was the hope that his stories could serve as a lifeline for others, just as Aniston was for him.