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Matt LeBlanc Shares Touching Tribute to Late ‘Friends’ Costar Matthew Perry: ‘I’ll Never Forget You’
Matt LeBlanc paid tribute to late Friends costar Matthew Perry with a touching Instagram post on Tuesday, November 14.
“Matthew, it is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” he captioned a carousel of photos from their scenes together on the sitcom. “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. Spread your wings and fly brother, you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
Perry was found dead in the jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28. His official cause of death was deferred pending toxicology reports.
Following the news of his passing, Perry’s Friends costars and longtime friends, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and LeBlanc, released a joint statement.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” the statement obtained by People on October 30 read. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the statement continued. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Perry starred as Chandler Bing on Friends from 1994 to 2004, establishing an unbreakable bond with his colleagues throughout the show’s successful run. The Emmy nominee was not married and did not have any children at the time of his death. One year prior to his passing, Perry revealed he was open to the idea of starting a family one day.
“I think I’d be great. I really do,” he told People in October 2022 of being a father someday. “I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”
The sitcom star also reflected on his legacy on TV and in the real world after overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.
“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker,” Perry said. “And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want.”
