Heavy/Getty The cast of "Friends" mourns Matthew Perry's death.
On October 28 “Friends” fans learned the shocking news that Matthew Perry had died at his California home. TMZ reported that Perry was found in the hot tub of his home by an assistant, and Perry is believed to have drowned.
In the days after Perry’s death, colleagues, friends, and fans took to social media to mourn his passing. “Friends” colleagues and his family shared memories and tributes, and many entertainers who had worked with him or been inspired by him did the same.
A few days after his death, Perry’s core “Friends” colleagues issued a joint statement to the media. Until now, however, none of them had shared individual tributes on their social media pages.
New Instagram posts from Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Jennifer Aniston reveal the love they had and heartbreak they are navigating in the wake of Perry’s death.
Jennifer Aniston Has Experienced an ‘Insane Wave of Emotions’
Aniston shared her Instagram tribute to Perry on November 15. “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 wrote.
She continued, “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.”
The “Friends” star shared she had spent the days since Perry’s death reading through the texts they had shared with one another. “Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever,” Aniston noted.
“Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain… Sometimes I can almost hear you saying, ‘could you BE any crazier?'” Aniston closed out her caption by writing, “Rest little brother. You always made my day.”
The last line was a nod to a text message Perry had randomly sent Aniston one day. “Making you laugh just made my day. It made my day,” he had written to her. She replied, “Awww the first of THOUSANDS of times.”
Just two hours after Aniston’s Instagram post went live, it had already received over 6.6 million “likes.”
Lisa Kudrow Thanked Perry for Being ‘Completely Brilliant’
Kudrow was the last of Perry’s closest “Friends” co-stars to share a personal tribute on her Instagram page. On November 15, she shared an old photo showing her with Perry and she added a loving caption.
“Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY,” Kudrow wrote. She thanked Perry for his “open heart in a six way relationship that required compromise” as well.
The former “Friends” star also thanked Perry for “Showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant.” Kudrow mentioned Perry was part of the “Best 10 years a person gets to have,” and she noted she learned about love and grace through him.
Kudrow’s post about Perry quickly received a lot of love from “Friends” fans. One commenter wrote, “When millions of people mourn you although they never met you in person, that is an amazing legacy… Knowing he was obviously a fantastic and caring person in reality makes it that more awesome and tragic all at the same time. We always lose the good ones too young.”
Matt LeBlanc Has a Heavy Heart
LeBlanc was the first of the core “Friends” cast to post about Perry. On November 14, he took to Instagram to share a handful of photos from his time working with his pal. “It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye,” LeBlanc wrote.
He continued, “The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” LeBlanc continued. “Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free… And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me,” he quipped.
In the day since LeBlance posted his tribute to Perry, over 10 million people “liked” his post. More than 258,000 comments poured in as well.
“Finishing it up with a joke, well done sir. ❤️ In my head I saw Matty smile as I was reading that,” one fan commented.
David Schwimmer Was Astonished By Perry’s Comedic Talents
Schwimmer shared his own tribute to Perry in an Instagram post on November 15. “Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity,” the “Friends” star wrote.
The actor praised his co-star’s “impeccable comedic timing,” noting, “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.”
He also wrote about Perry’s big heart and shared a photo that represented a favorite moment he had shared with his good friend. “Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time,” Schwimmer wrote. He added, “I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around– ‘Could there BE any more clouds?'”
Schwimmer chose to close the comments section of his Instagram post.
Courteney Cox Remembers Perry As Funny & Kind
Cox also shared her Instagram tribute to Perry on November 14. “I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” she wrote.
She admitted, “When you work with someone as closely as I did Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share.” Cox did share a short video clip from “Friends” that became iconic.
The scene was from when Perry’s character, Chandler Bing, first hooked up with Cox’s character, Monica Gellar, while they were in London for Ross Gellar’s wedding. “Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London,” Cox revealed.
“But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story,” she added. Cox noted Perry “Was funny and he was kind.”
Cox’s post received over 4.78 million likes and 100,000 comments in less than 24 hours.
“I remember screaming at this moment in my house and everything made perfect sense on a rewatch that they could end up here. He was a gift,” commented a fan.