Matthew Perry laid to rest in Los Angeles among Friends cast members and family – latest
Matthew Perry was laid to rest at a Los Angeles cemetery yesterday in a service attended by relatives and castmates from the hit 1990s television sitcom Friends.
All five Friends co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – were present at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles, reported TMZ.
Page Six said Perry’s father, John Bennett Perry, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, were also there. About 20 people dressed in black attended and gathered around a burial plot, TMZ said.
On Friday, Perry’s hope of being remembered for “helping people to recover” from addiction realised as a foundation is set up in the late actor’s name.
The Matthew Perry Foundation said it "will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible”.
Last year, while promoting his book Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, the actor admitted that he hoped he would be remembered for his outreach work, rather than his time on the hit sitcom.
Key points
Matthew Perry laid to rest in Los Angeles among Friends cast and family
Matthew Perry Foundation set up in actor’s name
Friends lead stars share joint statement on Matthew Perry’s death
Matthew Perry 911 call audio released as cause of death probed
Remembering Matthew Perry’s iconic final line in Friends
Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice in Friends, mourns Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry laid to rest in Los Angeles among Friends cast and family
05:55 , Arpan Rai
Matthew Perry was laid to rest at a Los Angeles cemetery yesterday in a service attended by relatives and castmates from the hit 1990s television sitcom “Friends,” according to media reports and photographs from the funeral service.
The actor’s friends and family gathered at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles, less than a mile from the Warner Brothers studio where the show was filmed. It is also the final resting place of numerous Hollywood A-listers including Michael Jackson, Lucille Ball and Elizabeth Taylor.
All five “Friends” co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – were there, reported TMZ.
Page Six said Perry’s father, John Bennett Perry, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, were also there. About 20 people dressed in black attended and gathered around a burial plot, TMZ said.
The five surviving co-stars of the show paid tribute on Monday to their fallen castmate in a joint message lamenting his death as an “unfathomable loss.”
Forest Hills did not respond to a Reuters request for confirmation.
Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home, generating an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow celebrities.
The show that shows us Matthew Perry’s genius – and it’s not Friends
01:00 , Tom Murray
Matthew Perry was so much more than Chandler Bing, argues Louis Chilton, who recalls the late actor’s extraordinary Emmy-nominated guest role in The West Wing, in which his character unpicks a scandal that brings down the vice president. His show-stealing turn on the political drama gave a glimpse of what might have been...
The show that shows us Matthew Perry’s true genius – and it’s not Friends
Video: Matthew Perry opens up about time Jennifer Aniston confronted him over addictions
00:02 , Tom Murray
Friends theme song explodes in streams since Perry’s death
Friday 3 November 2023 23:00 , Tom Murray
“I’ll Be There For You” by the Rembrandts has seen a surge in popularity since Perry’s death.
According to data from Billboard, the Friends theme song has tripled in streams across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music in the days since his death.
What happens to the $20m Matthew Perry was earning in Friends residuals every year?
Friday 3 November 2023 20:55 , Tom Murray
At the time of his death, Matthew Perry was reportedly earning around $20m (£16m) in residual fees from Friends.
Residuals are the long-term payments actors receive for reruns and other airings after their show’s initial release.
Charlie Douglas, a certified financial planner, told CNBC that it was possible state law would determine his estate plan.
In California, his parents will be the likely takers of his Friends royalties, as well as other parts of his estate including his 2022 memoir, according to Tasha Dickinson, trusts and estates partner at Day Pitney.
Video: Fans lay tributes to Matthew Perry outside Friends apartment in New York City
Friday 3 November 2023 20:02 , Tom Murray
Tribute: Matthew Perry, the comic genius who wore his big, bruised heart on his sleeve
Friday 3 November 2023 19:00 , Tom Murray
The Friends star’s performances were a masterclass in comic timing. And in his life outside of Chandler Bing, he was disarmingly honest about his frailties and his struggles with addiction. Fiona Sturges pays tribute
Matthew Perry, the comic genius who wore his big, bruised heart on his sleeve
Matthew Perry Foundation established following Friends star’s death
Friday 3 November 2023 16:05 , Isobel Lewis
A foundation has been created in Matthew Perry’s name to help those struggling with addiction.
On Friday (3 November), six days after the actor’s death, the opening of the Matthew Perry Foundation was officially announced.
“In the spirit of Matthew Perry’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction, we embark on a journey to honour his legacy by establishing the Matthew Perry Foundation, guided by his own words and experiences, and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible,” the foundation’s opening statement reads.
The foundation is accepting donations to help individuals dealing with addiction.
The West Wing shows us the great dramatic career Matthew Perry never had
Friday 3 November 2023 14:06 , Isobel Lewis
Writing in his column The Moment, The Independent’s Louis Chilton argues that The West Wing is the greatest example of Matthew Perry’s potential as an actor away from comedy:
The show that shows us Matthew Perry’s true genius – and it’s not Friends
Matthew Perry inspired Lisa Kudrow’s memorable ‘my eyes, my eyes!’ line reading
Friday 3 November 2023 13:33 , Isobel Lewis
Matthew Perry’s influence on the Friends writers’ room has been well documented, but it wasn’t only Chandler’s lines that he contributed towards.
In an interview between Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston that resurfaced following their co-star’s death, Kudrow recalled the iconic moment when Phoebe (Kudrow) accidentally sees Chandler (Perry) and Monica (Courteney Cox) having sex for the first time, and screams: “My eyes, my eyes!”
Kudrow said that she “stole” the way she said the line from Perry, with Aniston adding: “That’s exactly how Matthew Perry says it.”
“I actually asked his permission before we shot it,” Kudrow explained. “He was like, ‘Yeah, go for it.’”
Phoebe's iconic "My eyes MY eyes!" was inspired by Matthew Perry <3 pic.twitter.com/chIcT51sRR
— all things friends (@friendscatalog) November 2, 2023
John Stamos recalls Matthew Perry’s act of kindness during his Friends cameo
Friday 3 November 2023 13:00 , Isobel Lewis
A few days after Perry’s sudden death, actor John Stamos honoured the Friends star in an Instagram post.
“Matthew and I had been friendly long before Friends, so when I guest starred as Zach, the prospective sperm donor for Chandler (Perry) and Monica (Courteney Cox), I hung with him a lot,” the Full House star wrote.
Alongside a clip of a scene from the show’s episode titled “The One with the Donor”, in which Monica and Chandler grill Zach about his family’s health history, Stamos recounted Perry’s unforgettable act of kindness on set.
John Stamos recalls Matthew Perry’s kindness during his ‘embarrassing’ Friends cameo
Matthew Perry ‘wanted Zac Efron to play him in biopic’, friend says
Friday 3 November 2023 11:44 , Isobel Lewis
Matthew Perry hoped to work again with his 17 Again co-star Zac Efron on a biopic about his own life, the late actor’s friend has said.
Perry starred in the 2009 comedy as a man in his late thirties who magically turns back into his 17-year-old self, played by Efron.
Speaking to People, Perry’s friend Athenna Crosby – who saw the actor just one day before his death – the Friends star had “wanted to make a movie about his life and have a biopic made”.
The model added that Perry had “wanted Zac Efron, who’s played him already to play him again because he said he did such a good job”.
Matthew Perry wanted Zac Efron to play younger self in biopic
How Matthew Perry made his own Friends in the writers’ room
Friday 3 November 2023 11:15 , Isobel Lewis
In the wake of Matthew Perry’s tragic death, fans and collaborators of the 54-year-old actor have reflected on the star’s comic talents beyond the stage.
Despite Friends producers having kept an open door policy to the writers’ room, only Perry regularly contributed to scripts – often happily pitching up to ten jokes an episode while his co-stars unwound backstage.
How Matthew Perry made his own Friends in the writers’ room
Hank Azaria says Matthew Perry helped him get sober as he pays tribute to late friend
Friday 3 November 2023 07:05 , Tom Murray
How Matthew Perry wanted to be remembered
Friday 3 November 2023 06:09 , Tom Murray
In a podcast interview with Tom Power last year, Perry revealed that he aspired to be remembered not for his iconic role in the sitcom Friends but for his efforts in supporting people struggling with addiction.
He said: “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.’ So I do that, whenever I can. In groups, or one on one.”
Read more:
How Matthew Perry wanted to be remembered: ‘I know people will talk about Friends...’
Video: Friends co-creators recall final conversation with Matthew Perry before his death
Friday 3 November 2023 05:12 , Tom Murray
Voices: Why Matthew Perry’s death is a watershed moment for millennials
Friday 3 November 2023 04:11 , Tom Murray
There are other icons who have passed, but Perry was that exact right combination of just-young-enough and not-quite-as-young-as-you-remember to make you really reflect on what his death means to you, Ryan Coogan writes
Why Matthew Perry’s death is a watershed moment for millennials | Ryan Coogan
Tribute: Matthew Perry, the comic genius who wore his big, bruised heart on his sleeve
Friday 3 November 2023 03:13 , Tom Murray
The Friends star’s performances were a masterclass in comic timing. And in his life outside of Chandler Bing, he was disarmingly honest about his frailties and his struggles with addiction. Fiona Sturges pays tribute
Matthew Perry, the comic genius who wore his big, bruised heart on his sleeve
Listen: Matthew Perry 911 call audio released as cause of death probed
Friday 3 November 2023 02:10 , Tom Murray
Gwyneth Paltrow recalls ‘magical summer’ with Matthew Perry
Friday 3 November 2023 01:13 , Tom Murray
Actor and Goop founder Paltrow remembered how Perry “hoped his break was around the corner” when she met him in 1993 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, in a touching tribute on Instagram.
Alongside a photograph of Perry taken in the Noughties, she wrote: “We were both there for most of the summer doing plays. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass.
“It was a magical summer,” the Iron Man actor continued. “He had shot the pilot of Friends but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was.”
Read more:
Gwyneth Paltrow recalls ‘magical summer’ with Matthew Perry
‘The West Wing shows us the great dramatic career Matthew Perry never had'
Friday 3 November 2023 00:12 , Tom Murray
Matthew Perry was so much more than Chandler Bing, argues Louis Chilton, who recalls the late actor’s extraordinary Emmy-nominated guest role in which his character unpicks a scandal that brings down the vice president. His show-stealing turn on the political drama gave a glimpse of what might have been...
The show that shows us Matthew Perry’s true genius – and it’s not Friends
Matthew Perry spent more than $9m trying to get sober
Thursday 2 November 2023 23:14 , Tom Murray
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry detailed his battle with addiction to alcohol and painkillers.
Over the course of his three-decades-long journey towards sobriety, he wrote that he spent over $7m (£5.7m) on 15 rehab stints.
Speaking to The New York Times a few weeks before his book’s release, he disclosed that the figure was actually more like “$9m [£7.4m] or something trying to get sober”.
Read more:
Matthew Perry spent more than $9m trying to get sober
Where to read Matthew Perry’s memoir
Thursday 2 November 2023 22:15 , Tom Murray
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, which was published almost exactly a year ago, documents Perry’s rise to fame, his past relationships and his subsequent struggles with addiction.
The memoir has shot up both Amazon’s and Apple Books’ top charts, with Friends co-star Paget Brewster, who played Chandler’s love interest Kathy, urging fans on X to “please read his book. It was his legacy to help”.
Find out where to read it here:
Where to read Matthew Perry’s memoir, as it rises to No. 1
Watch Matthew Perry's most iconic Friends scenes
Thursday 2 November 2023 19:30 , Tom Murray
‘No meth or fentanyl found’ in Matthew Perry’s system
Thursday 2 November 2023 18:30 , Tom Murray
Early toxicology tests have reportedly revealed Matthew Perry did not have meth or fentanyl in his system at the time of his death, as the investigation into the Friends star’s cause of death continues.
However, a conclusive update is not expected for “four to six months” with further tests currently underway, American entertainment tabloid TMZ reported, citing law enforcement sources, on Wednesday (1 November).
Read more:
Matthew Perry: ‘No meth or fentanyl found’ in Friends actor’s system
Perry died from an apparent drowning at his home on 28 October
Friends director reveals how cast are coping with Perry’s death
Thursday 2 November 2023 17:29 , Tom Murray
Friends director James Burrows has shared some insight into how the rest of the main cast members are dealing Perry’s sudden death.
Burrows, 82, who directed 15 episodes of Friends during its 10-season run, appeared on the Today show on Thursday to discuss the actor’s passing.
“I had to have a couple of days to just let it soak in,” Burrows said on the US morning show. “He was part of a family and he was the first one to not be part of that family anymore.”
Burrows said that upon hearing the news, he texted three of the lead cast members – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
“I had texted the girls the day we found out,” Burrows said. “They were destroyed. It’s a brother dying.”
Read more:
Friends director says lead cast have been ‘destroyed’ by Matthew Perry death
Friends creator says she was ‘concerned’ about Matthew Perry during 2021 reunion
Thursday 2 November 2023 15:30 , Inga Parkel
Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman has admitted that she was “concerned” about Matthew Perry during the show’s 2021 reunion special.
Nearly two decades after the hit NBC sitcom came to an end in 2004, the six leads – Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc – returned to the show’s original soundstage for Friends: The Reunion.
Before that point, Perry – who died on Saturday, 28 October, aged 54 – hadn’t appeared on-screen since his four-episode feature on the 2017 drama mini-series The Kennedy’s After Camelot.
Speaking to TODAY show’s Hoda Kotb during a recent interview – which aired on NBC on Wednesday (1 November) – Kauffman said she was “concerned” about what point in Perry’s sobriety cycle he was in during the reunion.
Read more:
Friends creator says she was ‘concerned’ about Matthew Perry during 2021 reunion
Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home aged 54
Opening line of Matthew Perry’s memoir has a heartbreaking new meaning
Thursday 2 November 2023 14:30 , Inga Parkel
The opening line of Matthew Perry’s 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing has taken on a heartbreaking new light in the wake of the Friends star’s death.
Tributes poured in from across the world in the wake of the tragic news, with many hailing Perry’s performance as the sarcastic but loveable Chandler as one of the best parts of the hugely popular sitcom.
However, while Friends was undoubtedly Perry’s biggest success as an actor, the star himself said he would rather be remembered for his ability to help others overcome their alcohol addiction.
The actor made no secret of his own addiction struggles over the years and, in November 2022, he discussed this candidly in his book.
Now, fans of Perry are sharing the opening line of the memoir, which has taken on new resonance following his death.
Read more:
Opening line of Matthew Perry’s memoir has a heartbreaking new meaning
Sitcom star’s fans are highlighting the line following his apparent drowning
How Matthew Perry confronted his drug addiction and spent his life urging others to seek help
Thursday 2 November 2023 13:30 , Inga Parkel
Perry made no secret of his addiction struggles over the years, writing candidly about his substance abuse and attempts to stay sober in his affecting memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Released in 2021, the book chronicled the exacerbation of Perry’s addiction under the “white-hot flame of fame” after he shot to international stardom, aged 24, as the wise-cracking Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends.
“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name,” he wrote in the book’s opening passage. “My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”
Read more:
How Matthew Perry confronted his drug addiction, and spent his life urging others to seek help
‘Friends’ star, who has died aged 54, was a prominent campaigner for drugs reform and spoke candidly about his own battles with substance abuse
Matthew Perry found ‘purpose’ in helping other addicts, Friends creator says
Thursday 2 November 2023 12:56 , Maanya Sachdeva
Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman said helping other addicts “gave Matthew Perry purpose” in an interview with Today host Hoda Kotb.
Kauffman told Kotb that Perry, who battled drug and alcohol addictions for much of his life, was sober before his death on 28 October.
She added: “He wanted to help other addicts and it gave him purpose.”
Kauffman also said the Friends star sounded “happy and chipper” during their final conversation, which is why his death “seems so unfair”,
Matthew Perry’s dog will not be adopted by Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow, despite reports
Thursday 2 November 2023 11:56 , Maanya Sachdeva
Lisa Kudrow is not adopting Matthew Perry’s dog following the Friends actor’s death, despite multiple rumours.
Here’s the full story:
Matthew Perry’s dog will not be adopted by Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow
Watch: Matthew Perry's advice in last interview before his death: 'People do change'
Thursday 2 November 2023 06:04 , Tom Murray
Matthew Perry’s ex-fiancée pays tribute to Friends star
Thursday 2 November 2023 05:01 , Tom Murray
Molly Hurwitz has paid tribute to the late Friends star, writing that their shared “respect and appreciation of humour” brought them together.
Perry and Hurwitz, who works as a literary manager, began dating in 2018 and got engaged in November 2020. However, they called their engagement off in June 2021.
Following his sudden death on Saturday, Hurwitz, 32, said: “No one in my adult life has had a more profound impact on me.” In her statement on Instagram, she expressed “tremendous gratitude” for their time together and “everything I learned from our relationship”.
Read more:
Matthew Perry’s ex-fiancee says Friends star had a ‘profound impact’ on her
John Stamos recalls Matthew Perry’s act of kindness during his Friends cameo
Thursday 2 November 2023 03:00 , Tom Murray
Stamos guest starred on Friends as a potential sperm donor for Perry’s Chandler Bing and Courteney Cox’s Monica Geller in 2003.
“Matthew and I had been friendly long before Friends, so when I guest starred as Zach, the prospective sperm donor for Chandler and Monica [Courteney Cox], I hung with him a lot,” the Full House star wrote on Instagram.
Alongside a clip of a scene from the show’s episode titled “The One with the Donor”, in which Monica and Chandler grill Zach about his family’s health history, Stamos recounted Perry’s unforgettable act of kindness.
Read more:
John Stamos recalls Matthew Perry’s kindness during his ‘embarrassing’ Friends cameo
Video: Friends co-creators recall final conversation with Matthew Perry before his death
Thursday 2 November 2023 02:01 , Tom Murray
Meet the people Matthew Perry saved from addiction
Thursday 2 November 2023 01:02 , Tom Murray
In the wake of Matthew Perry’s death, people remember the Friends actor for his advocacy work to destigmatise substance use disorder and help those in recovery. Ariana Baio and Clémence Michallon report
Meet the people Matthew Perry saved from addiction
Perry spent more than $9m trying to get sober
Thursday 2 November 2023 00:03 , Tom Murray
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote that he spent over $7m (£5.7m) on 15 rehab stints.
Speaking to The New York Times a few weeks before his book’s release, he disclosed that the figure was actually more like “$9m [£7.4m] or something trying to get sober”.
Read more:
Matthew Perry spent more than $9m trying to get sober
WATCH: Charlie Puth crowd sings Friends theme in tribute to Matthew Perry
Wednesday 1 November 2023 23:00 , Inga Parkel
Grieving fans flock to New York apartment to mourn Matthew Perry
Wednesday 1 November 2023 22:30 , Inga Parkel
Crowds of people have flocked to the corner of Grove Street and Bedford Street to pay their respects to Matthew Perry, whose death on Saturday shocked the world. At the bottom of the intersection’s stop sign, outside the well-known apartment building exterior used as an establishing shot throughout the show’s 10 seasons, lay a beautiful collection of bouquets and several handwritten notes.
Read more:
‘Friends kind of saved my life’: Grieving fans flock to New York apartment to mourn Matthew Perry
Following the tragic passing of the ‘Friends’ star, fans from all over the globe have congregated on one New York City street corner to pay their respects
Friends lead stars share joint statement on Matthew Perry’s death
Wednesday 1 November 2023 22:00 , Inga Parkel
Two days after the tragic passing of Perry on Saturday, his leading Friends co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow, shared an emotional tribute in a joint statement.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” they wrote in a statement to People.
“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.”
Read more:
Friends lead stars share joint statement on Matthew Perry’s death: ‘We are all so utterly devastated’
The lead stars of the US sitcom promised to ‘say more in time’, but remembered Perry ‘as family’
The question Miriam Margolyes regretted asking Matthew Perry on Graham Norton Show
Wednesday 1 November 2023 21:30 , Inga Parkel
Margolyes has paid tribute to Perry weeks after revealing “regret” over a question she asked the Friends star on The Graham Norton Show.
Actor Margolyes, whose credits include The Age of Innocence and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, appeared on Norton’s BBC chat show in 2020 alongside Perry, who died on Saturday (28 October).
Perry, who was promoting a West End play at the time, was left squirming after an x-rated anecdote Margolyes shared. As the audience laughed, Perry, appearing visibily shocked, stated: “I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been more uncomfortable in my life.”
Read more:
Miriam Margolyes shares Matthew Perry tribute weeks after expressing regret over Graham Norton show question
‘On reflection, I really wish I hadn’t asked it,’ actor confessed in memoir
How Matthew Perry confronted his drug addiction and spent his life urging others to seek help
Wednesday 1 November 2023 21:00 , Inga Parkel
Perry made no secret of his addiction struggles over the years, writing candidly about his substance abuse and attempts to stay sober in his affecting memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Released in 2021, the book chronicled the exacerbation of Perry’s addiction under the “white-hot flame of fame” after he shot to international stardom, aged 24, as the wise-cracking Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends.
“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name,” he wrote in the book’s opening passage. “My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”
In the book, Perry recalled drinking heavily through the first two seasons of Friends, although he said he was never drunk or high on set, and then becoming addicted to the opiate pain medication Vicodin after a jet ski accident while filming Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek in 1996.
By the end of the 10th series of Friends, Perry became “entrenched in a lot of trouble”, he revealed years later.
Read more:
How Matthew Perry confronted his drug addiction, and spent his life urging others to seek help
‘Friends’ star, who has died aged 54, was a prominent campaigner for drugs reform and spoke candidly about his own battles with substance abuse
‘His book kept me sober’: Tributes to Matthew Perry’s ‘courageous’ work to help others battle addiction
Wednesday 1 November 2023 20:30 , Inga Parkel
In the wake of Matthew Perry’s death, people honour the Friends star for his advocacy work to destigmatise substance use disorder and help those in recovery.
Ariana Baio and Clémence Michallon report:
‘His book kept me sober’: Inside Matthew Perry’s work to battle addiction
In the wake of Matthew Perry’s death, people remember the ‘Friends’ actor for his advocacy work to destigmitise substance use disorder and help those in recovery. Ariana Baio and Clémence Michallon report
Matthew Perry’s advice in last interview before his death: ‘People do change’
Wednesday 1 November 2023 20:00 , Inga Parkel
Opening line of Matthew Perry’s memoir has a heartbreaking new meaning
Wednesday 1 November 2023 19:30 , Inga Parkel
The opening line of Matthew Perry’s affecting 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing has taken on a heartbreaking new light in the wake of the Friends star’s death.
In the wake of the heartbreaking news, tributes poured in from across the world, with many hailing Perry’s performance as the sarcastic but loveable Chandler as one of the best parts of the hugely popular sitcom.
However, while Friends was undoubtedly Perry’s biggest success as an actor, the star himself said he would rather be remembered for his ability to help others overcome their alcohol addiction.
The actor made no secret of his own addiction struggles over the years and, in November 2022, he discussed this candidly in his book.
Now, fans of Perry are sharing the opening line of the memoir, which has taken on new resonance following his death.
Read more:
Opening line of Matthew Perry’s memoir has a heartbreaking new meaning
Sitcom star’s fans are highlighting the line following his apparent drowning
Friends creator says she was ‘concerned’ about Matthew Perry during 2021 reunion
Wednesday 1 November 2023 19:00 , Inga Parkel
Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman has admitted that she was “concerned” about Matthew Perry during the show’s 2021 reunion special.
Nearly two decades after the hit NBC sitcom came to an end in 2004, the six leads – Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc – returned to the show’s original soundstage for Friends: The Reunion.
Before that point, Perry – who died on Saturday, 28 October, aged 54 – hadn’t appeared on-screen since his four-episode feature on the 2017 drama mini-series The Kennedy’s After Camelot.
Speaking to TODAY show’s Hoda Kotb during a recent interview – which aired on NBC on Wednesday (1 November) – Kauffman said she was “concerned” about what point in Perry’s sobriety cycle he was in during the reunion.
Read more:
Friends creator says she was ‘concerned’ about Matthew Perry during 2021 reunion
Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home aged 54
Lisa Kudrow is not adopting Matthew Perry’s dog, despite multiple reports.
Wednesday 1 November 2023 17:30 , Inga Parkel
Earlier this week, it was rumoured that Kudrow would be taking in the late actor’s dog after his sudden passing on Saturday 28 October at the age of 54. However, a source has confirmed to People that Perry didn’t own a dog at the time of his death.
Read more:
Matthew Perry’s dog will not be adopted by Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow
Perry died from an apparent drowning at his home in Los Angeles on 28 October
Friends director reveals how cast are coping with Matthew Perry news
Thursday 2 November 2023 17:11 , Tom Murray
Friends director James Burrows has shared some insight into how the rest of the main cast members are dealing with Perry’s sudden death.
“I had to have a couple of days to just let it soak in,” Burrows said on the Today show on Thursday. “He was part of a family and he was the first one to not be part of that family anymore.”
Burrows said that upon hearing the news, he texted three of the lead cast members – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
“I had texted the girls the day we found out,” Burrows said. “They were destroyed. It’s a brother dying.”
Read more:
Friends director says lead cast have been ‘destroyed’ by Matthew Perry death
Wednesday 1 November 2023 17:00 , Inga Parkel
VOICES: Let Matthew Perry’s legacy be those he helped with addiction
Wednesday 1 November 2023 16:30 , Inga Parkel
Perry changed the narrative around addiction. Could he have been a more relatable role model? Adam Bloodworth writes:
Let Matthew Perry’s legacy be those he helped with addiction | Adam Bloodworth
Perry changed the narrative around addiction. Could he have been a more relatable role model?
Matthew Perry played pickleball hours before his death, coach says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 15:00 , Inga Parkel
Matthew Perry reportedly played a pickleball match just hours before his death on Saturday, his friend and coach has said.
Matt Manasse told People that Perry had been on the court playing the racket sport that morning, during which the Friends star was “doing really well”.
Perry had played his match with another coach, who had been the first person Manasse contacted when news of Perry’s death was made public.
“She said, ‘Yeah, he’d come out,’” he recalled. “She didn’t say how long but said he’d been doing really well on court, which wasn’t a surprise.”
Friends co-creator says she hopes Matthew Perry can feel fans’ love ‘wherever he is’
Wednesday 1 November 2023 14:52 , Inga Parkel
Marta Kauffman said that losing Perry was like “losing a friend in multiple ways”.
“And what’s amazing is the outpouring from the fans, who lost a friend of theirs too. And wherever he is, I hope he feels it,” she added.
Friends co-creators recall final conversation with Matthew Perry before his death
Wednesday 1 November 2023 14:46 , Inga Parkel