Heavy/Getty Matthew Perry died on Julia Roberts' birthday.
Actor Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023. According to TMZ’s sources, the “Friends” star was “found in a jacuzzi” at his home in California. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, but sources told TMZ that no foul play is suspected.
Perry died on actress Julia Roberts‘ 56th birthday. The “Pretty Woman” star dated Perry for a short period of time in the 90s. Perry wrote about the romance in his memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” which was released in November 2022.
The two were first linked when Roberts agreed to appear on “Friends.” At the time, Perry says that he had to “woo” the actress. He sent her flowers and included a sweet note. “The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you doing the show is that I finally have an excuse to send you flowers,” the note read, according to The Times.
Perry never married and did not have any kids at the time of his death. He was 54 years old.
Here’s what you need to know:
Matthew Perry Broke Up With Julia Roberts After 2 Months
In his book, Perry detailed a three-month courtship period. The year they met, Roberts took Perry to New Mexico to meet her family over the holidays. He talked about a special night they shared on top of a mountain on New Year’s Eve.
“We jumped in this big blue truck and drove up a mountain, snow swirling around. Eventually we reached a mountaintop, and for a moment the weather cleared, and we could see New Mexico and beyond, all the way back to Canada. As we sat there, she made me feel like the king of the world. A gentle snow was falling, and with that, 1996 began,” he wrote.
After two months of dating, however, Perry ended the relationship.
“Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts,” he wrote.
Sources Say Julia Roberts Felt ‘Embarrassed’ by What Matthew Perry Wrote
At the time of publication, Roberts hadn’t posted any sort of statement about Perry’s death. Roberts didn’t issue a response to Perry’s book following its release, either. However, sources told Closer magazine that the actress did have an opinion on what her ex wrote.
“Julia is embarrassed and disappointed that Matthew has detailed their fling. It smacks of Matthew looking for glam soundbites to fill his book and that’s not how Julia rolls,” a source said, according to Mashable.
“She’s very old school about her privacy – you never see her kiss and tell about her exes. It made her cringe,” the source added.
The source also said that Roberts was proud of Perry for getting sober.
“She knows how badly he struggled and applauds that he’s shown the courage to get help and encourage others to learn from his own cautionary tale. Julia just wishes he hadn’t dragged her into his life story,” the source said.
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