Jennifer Aniston was “one of the first to arrive at her Friends co-star Matthew Perry’s funeral” but “kept to herself” during the simple, hour-long ceremony.
The actress, 54; Lisa Kudrow, 60; Courteney Cox, 59; and David Schwimmer, 57, arrived as a quartet as they prepared to say goodbye to Perry at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.
They were joined outside the church by fellow actor Matt LeBlanc, 56, while Perry’s tearful mother Suzanne Morrison, 84, and the Dateline journalist’s stepfather Keith, 76, as well as his father John Perry, 82, were in attendance.
Aniston was “one of the first to arrive at Friday’s ceremony,” and an onlooker told : “She kept to herself.” “This is a high-profile event.”
Perry died at age 54 in an apparent drowning accident at his home in Pacific Palisades, California.
Jennifer Aniston (back), Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer (center), and Lisa Kudrow (front) are seen at Forest Lawn Church of the Hills in Los Angeles on Friday
Jennifer Aniston was “one of the first to arrive at her Friends co-star Matthew Perry’s funeral” but “kept to herself” during the simple, hour-long ceremony.
Aniston and Perry – born just six months apart – were the youngest of the six Friends, so they had an instant camaraderie when the series began filming in 1994.
In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, he wrote that they first met three years before Friends started and he tried to date her, but she refused.
But that early rejection didn’t stop Aniston and Perry from forming a close friendship during the ten years they spent together on the set of Friends – with Aniston supporting him in his battle with drug addiction.
“No one shed more tears for Matthew during the darkest stages of his battle with addiction than Jennifer,” a close friend of the actress told .
“At the time of the 2021 Friends reunion, there was speculation that Matthew wouldn’t be there because his demons had gotten the better of him.” But there’s no way Jennifer would have made it without him.
“He worked hard and made it a success, even though he seemed frail.”
“But Jennifer truly believed his worst days were behind him. Therefore, his death just two years later was a huge blow to her.
Jennifer Aniston (left), Courteney Cox (second from left), David Schwimmer (center), Lisa Kudrow (second from right) and Matt LeBlanc (far right) are seen at Matthew Perry’s funeral on Friday
Perry’s gray-haired stepfather, Keith Morrison, served as a pallbearer
The Perry’s Friends co-stars said they were “devastated” by his death and that they were more like family than with the cast
Perry and Aniston remained close friends for years after Friends ended and until his death
Just as Chandler and Rachel were never lovers, even though both had many other partners, neither were the actors who played them
“It doesn’t matter if he died as a result of a freak accident or if it was directly related to his drug problems, this was a day Jennifer had been dreading for 20 years,” the friend added.
“She always wanted to help Matthew in any way she could – that was a constant for her.”
The cemetery where Perry is buried, across the street from Warner Bros Studios, where Friends was filmed for 10 seasons, is the final resting place of a galaxy of Hollywood stars – including Carrie Fisher, Bette Davis, Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton and INXS Frontman Michael Hutchence and Anne Heche.
His memorial service ended with a rendition of the Peter Gabriel song “Don’t Give Up,” which includes the lyrics: “No fight left or so it seems, I’m a man whose dreams are all deserted, I’ve got mine.” Face changed, me.” “I changed my name, but no one wants you if you lose.”
The picture shows the hearse carrying Matthew Perry’s body arriving at the cemetery on Friday
Perry’s casket will be carried into the church on Friday
The 54-year-old’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, was one of seven people carrying the coffin
A van is seen arriving at the cemetery before Perry’s funeral
Friends and family of Matthew Perry arrive at the funeral on Friday
One viewer told : “There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.” There were lots of tears and laughter. Only close friends and family spoke.’
After the service, Perry was buried in a closed ceremony in a dark wooden coffin as crowds of black-clad mourners stood outside the church.
Some were seen hugging and comforting each other. Many wore dark sunglasses to protect their eyes from the bright California sun.
Throughout his life, Perry had spoken openly about his problems with drugs and alcohol.
According to a TMZ report, common narcotics were not found in Perry’s body during initial testing. But more in-depth tests are underway and would reveal whether the beloved actor had any prescription drugs in his system.
The hour-long ceremony was described as simple and ended with a song by Peter Gabriel
Heartfelt: Tributes have been left outside Matthew Perry’s home in Los Angeles, including Friends memorabilia
Tributes: On the day of his private memorial service, fans flocked to his home to leave floral greetings
Perry, 54, died last Saturday, leaving the world of show business in shock
The Los Angeles church has been the site of a long list of celebrity funerals, from Stan Laurel to Carrie Fisher. It is unclear whether Perry has expressed his final wishes
Initial toxicology tests found no fentanyl or meth in Perry’s system, but more detailed testing is underway. When police searched Perry’s home (pictured), they found prescription medications that were properly labeled and stored
When investigators searched Perry’s home, they did not find illegal drugs, but rather prescription medications that were properly labeled and stored in storage bottles.
In his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry wrote that after his colon exploded in 2018, he was prescribed opiates that he felt were not enough to relieve his pain, leading him to prompted him to turn to street dealers to possibly supply him with opiates OxyContin containing fentanyl.
Perry wrote in his memoirs that he spent $9 million to get sober
“The street pills were about $75 a pill, so I gave the guy $3,000 several times a week,” he wrote.
After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred a cause of death, which could take weeks to determine. Those who knew him claim that Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death.
Perry wrote at the beginning of his million-selling memoir: “Hello, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name.” My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.’
On Sunday, Perry’s book debuted at No. 1 on Amazon, replacing Britney Spears’ memoir.
When he filmed the hit sitcom Friends in the ’90s, many people were unaware that Perry struggled with addiction and had a strong desire to please audiences.
“Friends” was huge. I couldn’t jeopardize that. I loved the script. I loved my co-actors. I loved the scripts. “I loved everything about the show, but I struggled with addiction, which only increased my feelings of shame,” he wrote in his memoir.
“I had a secret and no one could know.”
“I felt like I would die if the live audience didn’t laugh, and that’s certainly not healthy. “But sometimes I could say a line and the audience wouldn’t laugh and I would sweat and sometimes get cramps.”
Perry wrote, “If I didn’t get the laugh I was supposed to, I would freak out.” I felt that every night. This pressure put me in a bad position. I also knew of the six people doing this show, only one of them was sick.’
After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred a cause of death, which could take weeks to determine. Those who knew him claim that Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death
Matthew Perry’s mother Suzanne and stepfather Keith Morrison are seen Friday morning
The cast of the hit series met for their long-awaited reunion in 2021 – 17 years after the series ended
Heartbroken Friends fans have flooded the internet with tributes to Matthew Perry’s close bond with co-star Jennifer Aniston following his untimely death
The deep love and closeness between the two has been evident over the years
Perry was comforted by his co-star during the tearful reunion with the cast in 2021
In his memoir, he recalled that co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about being drunk during filming.
“I know you drink,” he remembered her telling him once.
“We can smell it,” she said in what Perry called a strange but loving way, and the plural “we” hit me like a sledgehammer.”
A member of Perry’s recovery program told in an exclusive interview on Tuesday: “Matty didn’t drink.” He was a big part of our AA community. He attended meetings, spoke at meetings and worked with a handful of newcomers.
“He had a sponsor and was a sponsor. “He seemed to be doing well.”
The insider said the actor has been focused on helping others battling addiction and has recently expressed interest in sharing his story at public speaking engagements.
“Matty said he wanted to return to universities and talk about alcoholism. That was his gift. “He was so good at speaking and motivating people,” the source added.
“It was important to him to reach out to the younger generation and spread his message of ‘Don’t Give Up’. He really lived by those words.’