Heavy/ABC Derek Hough opened up about his friendship with Matthew Perry.
“Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough has been doing a live tour with his wife, Hayley Erbert, while also appearing on DWTS every week throughout season 32. In a recent social media post, Hough described an incredible moment he experienced while paying tribute to “Friends” star Matthew Perry after Perry’s sudden death.
On October 28, TMZ broke the news that Perry had died at home in an apparent drowning. Fans, friends, and colleagues have shared memories and tributes to the former “Friends” star as they grieve his death. Hough recently shared his own tribute and touched on the friendship the two men had developed.
Here’s what you need to know:
Derek Hough & Fans Honored Matthew Perry via the ‘Friends’ Theme Song
On October 31, just three days after Perry’s death, the “Dancing with the Stars” judge shared a video from one of his “A Symphony of Dance” live shows via his Instagram page. “We started playing the Friends theme song during intermission and I could hear the crowd singing along,” Hough wrote.
Hough recorded the video as he stood on the stage at the venue. It showed the audience members, many of whom were standing, as the theme song from “Friends” played. The voices belting out the words to the show’s iconic theme song could easily be heard.
Toward the end of the clip, Hough turned the camera so he was included in the frame. He smiled and waved, and wrote in his caption, “A special moment remembering our favorite ‘friend.'”
The DWTS Judge Had Formed a Good Friendship With Perry
Then, the “Dancing with the Stars” judge provided some insight into the personal relationship he had with Perry. “I spent some time with Mathew (sic) a while back and got to know him intimately,” Hough shared.
“He was so kind and full of insight always giving me helpful advice,” the dancer continued. Hough admitted, “I’ll miss watching episodes of LOST with you buddy, thank you for giving this world more laughs and joy than you could have ever imagined.”
Hough shared the same video on his TikTok page as well. With that one, he added text that read, “Thank you Mathew for all The joy you brought us.”
Quite a few “Dancing with the Stars” fans commented on Hough’s posts to praise his tribute and share their own sadness over Perry’s death.
“What a beautiful tribute to #MatthewPerry. The audience singing as one to a dear #Friend. Didn’t realize your connection to him; I’m sure you inspired him too. #RIP 💔,” one fan commented.
Another fan noted, “Love this amazing tribute! Derek thanks for stepping up and doing this is [an] amazing tribute to Matthew perry! It is such a tragic loss!”
“This was a brilliant way to honor his memory ❤️,” someone else shared.
“I love this Derek! Friends was my favorite show and still is to this day. I loved Matthew Perry. He was so good at playing Chandler. I hope he knows how much he was loved. RIP my friend😢,” a fourth Instagram user wrote.
A couple of Hough’s followers noted they were even at that particular show, which it seemed was in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Awww that’s me and @ambam_7 standing way in the back,” a comment read. That friend replied, “I can see us all the way in the top back 🙋❤️ what a core memory this will be, thank you, @derekhough for this emotional, yet because moment 🥰.”
“I was there! I couldn’t sing because I was crying 😢❤️,” a separate show attendee shared.
“Tragic 💔 so sad that a death of an amazing human/ celebrity can unite so many people everywhere. I hope his friends & family get some comfort in knowing how much his life truly impacted so many people! The tragedy is HE isn’t here to see it 🙃,” wrote a different fan of both Hough and Perry.