Matt LeBlanc mourns Matthew Perry in emotional tribute after his death
Matt LeBlanc honored his Friends costar and friend Matthew Perry in an emotional tribute following his death.
“Matthew, it is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly some of the favorite times of my life,” LeBlanc, 56, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, November 14. “It was an honor to share the stage with you and call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I will never forget you. Never.”
He added: “Spread your wings and fly, brother, you are finally free. Lots of love. And I guess you’ll keep the twenty dollars you owe me.”
LeBlanc and Perry became friends after playing with their friends Joey and Chandler Friends. The sitcom, which ran from 1994 to 2004, followed a group of friends in New York City and also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow And David Schwimmer.
The costars continued to reunite over the years, but their Friends reunion for Max in 2021 marked the last time they appeared on-screen together.
Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry.
Ron Davis/Getty ImagesLate last month, the Los Angeles coroner’s office confirmed that Perry died of an apparent drowning at the age of 54. Police responded to a call of someone in cardiac arrest at a Los Angeles home, where they found the actor unconscious in a hot tub. While an initial autopsy was completed, Perry’s cause of death was “deferred” pending a toxicology report.
Perry’s family later released a statement about how “heartbroken” they are by the loss, saying, “Matthew brought so much joy into the world, both as an actor and as a friend.” You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the enormous outpouring of love.”
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Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman And David Crane – who spoke to Perry weeks before his death – also paid tribute.
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved friend Matthew. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives,” read their joint statement with executive producer Kevin S. Bright read on October 29. “He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role his own, but in Matthew’s case there are no better words.”
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Meanwhile, LeBlanc and Perry’s other Friends costars — Aniston, 54, Cox, 59, Kudrow, 60, and Schwimmer, 57 — honored his legacy in a heartbreaking joint statement.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” read their Oct. 30 statement. “There is so much to say, but right now we are going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” the statement said. “We will say more in due course, as soon as we are able to do so. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends and all who loved him around the world.”