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‘Friends’ Star Matt LeBlanc Pays Tribute to Matthew Perry After His Death: ‘I’ll Never Forget You’
Friends alum Matt LeBlanc paid tribute to his onscreen best friend and roommate, Matthew Perry, in a heartfelt tribute more than two weeks after his death on October 28.
“Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” Matt, 56, wrote next to a series of photos from some of their most memorable scenes on the NBC sitcom on Tuesday, November 14.
“It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you, and I’ll never forget you. Never,” he continued.
“Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love,” Matt concluded his post, adding a dose of humor by noting, “And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
Matt and Matthew played best friends and roomates Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing on the iconic NBC sitcom. Even when Chandler moved across the hall to live with future wife Monica Geller, played by Courteney Cox, the duo continued to share plenty of scenes.
The Man With a Plan alum included several photos of the pair hugging during scenes from the show, as well as a group photo including castmates Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer in a deep embrace backstage in the outfits they wore during the show’s finale episode in May 2004. Matt’s post marks the first individual tribute to Matthew of the main Friends cast.
The Friends cast shared a group statement on October 30, two days after Matthew died.
“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,” it read.
Their statement continued, “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.” It was signed by all five cast members.
Matthew was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home by an assistant. Paramedics were called but the actor was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy was performed on October 29 by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner but the case was listed as “deferred” until further testing, including toxicology screens, can be completed.
Matthew’s costars and close family and friends gathered for his memorial at Forest Lawn Church of the Hills in Los Angeles on November 3. The location was poignant, as it sits across from Warner Bros. Studios, where all 10 seasons of Friends were filmed.
The 17 Again star singled out each of his costars in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, where he detailed his decades-long struggle with addiction. Matthew wrote of the Episodes alum, “Matt Le Blanc, who took the only sort of stock character and turned him into the funniest character on the show.”
He added, “Each of them was still just a phone call away. At the reunion, I was the one who cried more than anyone because I knew what I’d had, and the gratitude I felt then matches the gratitude I feel today.”
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