Matthew Perry’s passing has led to an onslaught of loving messages and tributes from fans
and friends. The star endeavoured to help those suffering from addiction after his recovery,
though he is best known for playing Friends ‘Chandler Bing. However, no tribute seems of
higher importance than that of his ‘Friends’ co-stars. Following Perry’s death on 28 October,
the cast issued a joint statement. They explained: “We’re going to take a moment to grieve
and process this unfathomable loss.” Their response came off as muted to some, against the
plethora of actors sharing memories of Perry. But I think it is important to note that the
relationship those five people have with Matthew Perry is far beyond even his greatest
admirers.
In the past few days, each cast member has released their own personal statement in
dedication to Matthew Perry. Each shared beautiful messages alongside personal photos, truly
showcasing the depth of their friendship with their co-star. I’m going to go through their
responses in the order they show in the show’s opening, ‘I’ll Be There For You’ – it seems
only right.
Jennifer Aniston shared a gorgeous text between herself and Perry, as he sent her a photo of
the two laughing together. He sent to her: “Making you laugh made my day. It made my day
:)”. She spoke gratefully about having the time to process her grief for Perry. She said: “In the
last couple of weeks, I’ve been pouring over our texts to one another.” Aniston touching
tribute ends with the refrain “Rest little brother. You always made my day.”
Courtney Cox’s tribute to Perry is utterly light-hearted. She shared bloopers from the reveal
that Monica and Chandler had slept together in London. Her focus is on their happiest
memories together. She said: “He was funny and he was kind”, two invaluable traits that
Perry seemed to impress upon others. Cox, having played wife to Perry on Friends was
distraught in his passing – but her choice to focus on the most charming of moments that
exemplified him makes it clear what Perry stood for.
Lisa Kudrow gave the world a gorgeous picture of the two as they “initially bonded” when
the pilot (then called ‘Friends Like Us) was picked up by NBC. She shares their first time
together playing poker. It is clear that all of the cast remember Perry’s humour, Kudrow is no
exception. She said: “Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my
muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY.” Kudrow tells of the “six way
relationship” cast members shared. The clarity with which Kudrow spoke of her love for
Perry shows the truth in the closeness of the six.
Matt LeBlanc, the Joey to Perry’s Chandler, wrote a tribute fitting for an on and offscreen
friend. He shared iconic photos of Joey & Chandler from the show, alongside a final cast
circle (I know by Aniston’s outfit because I loved it so much). He said: “I will always smile
when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.” LeBlanc’s conviction in their
friendship is clear and it’s heart-warming to see the pair that have become the blueprint for
male friendship remain close. He ends with, “I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe
me.” A final line that made me cry.
David Schwimmer shared an emotional paragraph lauding Perry’s “impeccable comedic
timing and delivery”. He, like Kudrow, spoke of the connection between the cast members as
he said, “we could create a family out of six strangers.” He posted a photo of the two as 80s
Chandler & Ross and spoke about its personal meaning. He said: “This photo is one of my
favourite moments with you. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time.” It’s clear
that each cast member values Perry very much but they look back at their memories with
fondness in the sadness.
The six ‘Friends’ were truly friends. No faking it, no niceties for the public – just true friends.
Perry’s passing has been devastating to all who ever watched him perform, even outside of
Friends. Perry had only recently come back into the public eye with his book ‘Friends,
Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’. Perry had overcome his addiction and seemed ok again –
for this to happen off the back of that is horrific. But Perry always said he wanted to be
remembered not first as Chandler Bing but as someone who helped people. I’ve tried to
capture this despite focussing on the Friends cast. He has been immortalised by the cast as
that of a friend – someone who always helped them laugh.