Jennifer Aniston reflects on 'Friends' co-star Matthew Perry in emotional tribute: 'Chosen family'
Jennifer Aniston is opening up about the loss of her late "Friends" co-star Matthew Perry, who died last month at 54.
In an Instagram post, the actress, who starred as Rachel Green opposite Perry's Chandler Bing, shared a throwback photo of the pair and a clip from the show, in between a screenshot of a text between the two.
"Oh boy this one has cut deep... Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before," she captioned the post. "We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep.
"And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us," she continued. "This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be."
Aniston remembered Perry as someone who "knew he loved to make people laugh."
"As he said himself, if he didn't hear the 'laugh' he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it," she said. "And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard."
Perry was found dead on Oct. 28 in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home.
Aniston, with fellow "Friends" cast members Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow released a statement a few days after his death to share their grief and pay tribute to Perry: "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family."
Matt LeBlanc posts Matthew Perry tribute: 'Among the favorite times of my life'
Aniston said in her Wednesday post she's spent the last few weeks "laughing and crying" over their texts to each other.
"I'll keep them forever and ever. I found one text that he sent me out of nowhere one day. It says it all," she wrote, referring to a text where Perry shared the same photo she included in her post.
Perry wrote in the text: "Making you laugh just made my day. It made my day," with Aniston replying in the text: "Awww the first of THOUSANDS of times…"
Aniston continues in the Instagram caption: "Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying 'could you BE any crazier?'
"Rest little brother. You always made my day…" she ends the post.
LeBlanc and Cox have also shared their own emotional tributes.
Perry co-starred on the career-defining "Friends" sitcom for the entire 10-season run of what was then TV's No. 1 comedy, and appeared in all 234 episodes.
Courteney Coxhonors Matthew Perry with tribute to Monica and Chandler's 'Friends' love story
Perry was found dead in his home last month, according to authorities. TMZ was the first to report the news. Nicholas Prange, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman, confirmed the death, saying city firefighters responded "to find an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone jacuzzi. A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival. The circumstances are under investigation by LAPD and the LA County Medical Examiner."
In 2022, Perry opened up about life behind the scenes of the sitcom, chronicling his battle with alcohol and drugs in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing." Perry wrote with candor and compassion and showed his dedication to continue fighting a near-fatal battle.
Since his death, a foundation established in Perry's name will help those struggling with addiction. The Matthew Perry Foundation, announced less than a week after the actor's death will continue Perry's "enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction."
A coroner's report and toxicology exam for Perry is expected in the coming weeks.
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Contributing: Laura Trujillo, KiMi Robinson, Anthony Robledo
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