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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Rachael Davies

Matthew Perry: All five Friends castmates pay tribute to actor

Following Matthew Perry's death on October 28, his five castmates on Friends shared a joint tribute.

"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family," they wrote.

"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. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."

Now, all five have released personal statements and individual tributes. Here's a look at what each of them said about their late castmate and friend.

Jennifer Aniston: "This one has cut deep."

On Wednesday, November 15, Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green on Friends, shared a collection of images, including an early behind-the-scenes shot of her and Matthew Perry, a screenshot of a text he sent her, and a clip of the scene where Rachel and Chandler, his character, say goodbye to each other on-screen.

In the caption, she wrote: "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.

"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. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be."

She continued to reflect on the text he sent her, which read: "Making you laugh made my day. It just made my day."

Finally, Aniston closed her tribute to her fellow castmate with: "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."

Courtney Cox: "I miss you every day."

Courtney Cox, who played his girlfriend Monica and later became his wife in the show, shared a clip of the moment where Monica and Chandler are revealed to be in the same bed, along with an outtake where Perry whispered a funny line for her to say to get a laugh out of the audience.

"I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day," Cox wrote. "When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here’s one of my favorites."

"He often did things like that," she finished. "He was funny and he was kind."

Lisa Kudrow: "Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew."

Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay, was the last castmate to share a personal tribute, writing on Instagram on November 16 alongside a snap of a photograph of the pair of them.

"Shot the pilot, Friends Like Us, got picked up then immediately, we were at the NBC Upfronts. Then…You suggested we play poker AND made it so much fun while we initially bonded," Kudrow remembered. "Thank you for that."

"Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY.

"Thank you for your open heart in a six-way relationship that required compromise. And a lot of “talking.” Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant.

"Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for all I learned about GRACE and LOVE through knowing you. Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew."

Matt Le Blanc: "It was an honor."

Writing on November 15, Matt Le Blanc, who played Joey Tribbiani, shared a number of pictures of the duo from throughout their decade on Friends, as well as a final shot of the six main cast members hugging.

"It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye," he wrote. "The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life.

"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."

David Schwimmer: "Thank you for ten incredible years."

David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller on Friends alongside Perry, shared a picture of the pair of them in character in what he described as "one of my favorite moments with you".

In the caption, he wrote: "Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity."I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery. You could take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, resulting in something so entirely original and unexpectedly funny it still astonishes."And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers."

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