According to an insider, Matthew Perry’s Friends co-stars were not present for the second half of the actor’s memorial service.
Jennifer Aniston, 54; Lisa Kudrow, 60; Courteney Cox, 59; and David Schwimmer, 57, arrived as a quartet – all in black suits and sombre as they prepared to say goodbye to Perry, 54, at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.
After the simple hour-long ceremony, Matt LeBlanc, 56, joined them outside the church and was pictured chatting with other well-wishers.
But an insider told that the cast was not present for the second half of their “family-like” friend’s funeral.
The insider said: “The Friends cast did not attend the second half of the services, which took place further up the church in The Courts of Remembrance, which consists of several open-air courtyards.”
“It’s a special, more secluded area.” More private. Only Matthew’s family and closest friends attended this part. Less than 20 people.
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
The Perry’s Friends co-stars said they were “devastated” by his death and that they were more like family than with the cast
The three wives from Friends and David Schwimmer are seen entering the church to attend Matthew Perry’s funeral on Friday
“There were about 20 others present during the first part of the service. It was very intimate.
“After the service, friends left while his family and a few others drove by car to the area where the coffin was collected and then carried into the Courts of Remembrance.”
His tearful mother Suzanne Morrison, 84, and his Dateline journalist stepfather Keith, 76, were both present at the private event, as was his father John Perry, 82. Keith Morrison was one of the pallbearers.
The cemetery where Perry is buried is across the street from Warner Bros Studios, where “Friends” was filmed for ten seasons.
It is also the final resting place of a galaxy of Hollywood stars – including Carrie Fisher, Bette Davis, Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and Anne Heche.
The 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 have all been abandoned, me.” changed my face, I.” “I changed my name, but no one wants you if you lose.”
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
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 dark wooden coffin. After the ceremony, crowds of mourners dressed in black lined the front of the church.
Some were seen hugging and comforting each other. Many wore dark sunglasses to protect their eyes from the bright California sun.
“Ms Aniston was one of the first to arrive. She kept to herself. “This is a high-profile gathering,” the onlooker further told .
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 declined.
Perry and Aniston remained close friends for years after Friends ended and until his death
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.
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.
“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.”
Just as Chandler and Rachel were never lovers, even though both had many other partners, neither were the actors who played them
Throughout his life, Perry had spoken openly about his problems with drugs and alcohol
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
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.
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.
“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.