Jennifer Aniston Reveals She Was Texting Matthew Perry Hours Before His Death
I'm still in shock over the news that the American Canadian actor Matthew Perry passed away October 28, 2023. He was such a talented and funny actor, he's a dear friend to me and many others. I can't believe he's gone.
I was actually texting him hours before his death. He seemed happy and upbeat, and he even cracked a few jokes. He always made me laugh.
He also said he had some projects in the works, and he was feeling optimistic about his future. He sounded like he was doing well.
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“He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know.”
Aniston began to cry as she remembered her last moment with Perry, who died in October at the age of 54 after being found unresponsive in a jacuzzi. His cause of death has yet to be determined.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty,” she said. “He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
I had no idea if he was struggling. He never mentioned anything to me. He always put on a brave face, even when he was going through hard times. He was a fighter.
Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry weren’t just Friends on screen. Aniston and Perry played Rachel Green and Chandler Bing, respectively, on the NBC sitcom for a decade. Aniston and Perry remained close post-show until his tragic death in October 2023. Perry died from an apparent drowning at age 54. “We are all so utterly devastated.
The Friends star played Rachel Green alongside Perry as Chandler Bing for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” Aniston said in a joint statement in October along with her remaining friend's costars, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Two weeks later, Aniston revealed via Instagram that it cut deep losing Perry. “Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before,” she explained on November 15. “We loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be.”
I wish I could have done something to help him. I wish I could have told him how much I loved him and appreciated him. I wish I could have said goodbye.
Matthew Perry openly battled addiction and other health issues while starring on Friends and his costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were by his side every step of the way, showing their support both in public and in private. The six actors appeared on the NBC sitcom for 10 seasons.
She added: “For Matty, he 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. And boy did succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple weeks, I’ve been pouring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever.”
While Perry was vocal over the years about his struggles with addiction, Aniston was adamant on Monday that he had turned a corner.
“I want people to know he was really healthy and getting healthier. He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard,” she said on Monday. “He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”
Aniston added that she hopes Perry is remembered “as he said he’d love to be remembered,” which was as a man who lived to help others.
He was more than just a co-star to me. He was a friend, a brother, a mentor. He was part of my family. We shared so many memories together, on and off the screen. He was always there for me and others, through the good and the bad.
I will miss him terribly. He was a one-of-a-kind person, and a brilliant performer. He touched so many lives with his humor, his charm, his kindness. He left a legacy that will never be forgotten.
On September 22, 1994, TV audiences got six new pals with the cast of the hit NBC series Friends. Now, decades later, we’ve watched Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing) and David Schwimmer (Ross Geller) take on numerous other roles through the years. The friend group went from aimless 20-somethings to grown-ups with.
After battling addiction, Perry turned his Malibu home into a sober living facility called the Perry House from 2013 to 2015. He was also a spokesperson for the nonprofit National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), working to help criminal justice reform.
Last month, The Matthew Perry Foundation was created in honor of the late actor’s efforts to help people get through addiction. Aniston showed support for the organization on Giving Tuesday in November, asking her followers to “please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation.”
She noted via her Instagram Story at the time that “he would have been grateful for all the love.”
Looking back at all the outpouring of love since that sad October day “It’s so beautiful” to see how much Perry touched his fans. “I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was,” she concluded.
Rest in peace, Matthew Perry.
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