Although it has been just over two weeks since the death of Matthew Perry, known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, his loss had such an impact that every detail and goodbye remains emotional. This Tuesday, one of the main actors in the series spoke about it for the first time. And it was also Matt LeBlanc who played Joey Tribbiani, Chandler’s best friend and roommate, for the ten seasons that the television fiction lasted.
LeBlanc wanted to personally say goodbye to his friend, whom he now refers to as his “little brother” in some interviews, via his Instagram profile, where he has 9.3 million followers. He posted five photos, four of them stills from the series and another of the protagonists hugging, and wrote a short text. “It is with a heart full of pain that I say goodbye. The moments we shared were honestly some of the best of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and call you a friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I will never forget you. Never. Open your wings and fly, brother, you are finally free. All the best from me,” he writes, concluding with a little joke based on a storyline from the series: “And I hope you save the $20 you owe me.”
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Matthew Perry died on October 28 in Los Angeles, California, when he drowned in his home’s hot tub after spending the morning exercising. His assistant found him when he returned from some errands the actor had assigned him. At this time, the causes of death are unknown, but it is known that there was no fentanyl or methamphetamine in his system. The interpreter was 54 years old and had many problems with alcohol and drug addiction; By his own admission, he had spent around $10 million on rehabilitation programs. He also had serious health problems: in 2018, his colon burst and he was in a coma for two months; doctors gave him little chance of survival. After his death, investigators found various asthma medications, but no illegal substances, in his home in Pacific Palisades (near the coast of Malibu).
The shock of Perry’s loss had a huge impact on the actors with whom he spent a decade of his life, years that made him famous, made him a huge fortune and also put him in a very difficult position when it came to his addiction. The five stars of Friends took a few days to speak out and decided to do so in a joint statement sent to People magazine. “We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were much more than just co-stars. We were a family. There is a lot to say, but right now we need a moment to grieve and process this incredible loss,” wrote David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc. “We will say more in due course if we are able. At this time, our thoughts and love are with Matt’s family and friends and everyone who loved him in this world.
So far, neither had made any further public statements, about Perry or anything else. They also made no public appearances, either personal or professional, although the five were seen from afar at their friend’s private funeral, which took place on Friday, November 3, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, a cemetery north of Los Angeles and in front of Warner Studios, on whose 24th set the series was filmed during its 10-year history.
The relationship between the Friends actors was close, shaped by the importance of the filming, during which they became not only international stars but also close friends. However, they didn’t see each other very often, as they said in some interviews. In 2016, LeBlanc said of Perry in a chat with People: “I adore him! Five years can go by without us seeing each other, but then we meet in a room and are still intimate. It is really incredible. When you spend 10 years in a building with no windows and closed doors, you know each other quite well.” They were last seen together in May 2021, when the entire cast of the series met for a special program.