“We are a family”: with these words the “Friends” stars say goodbye to Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry’s death shocked Hollywood. On October 28, 2023, the ‘Friends’ star was found lifeless in his Los Angeles home at the age of 54. A large number of former companions have already expressed their condolences on Twitter, and fans from all over the world remembered the popular star through social media, who entered the hearts of an audience of millions in the cult sitcom “Friends” as the lovable cynical Chandler Bing. Now his former co-stars have too Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc And David Schwimmer in a shared expression of mourning.

The message is available in full here (via Rtranslation by us):

“We are deeply devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just fellow actors. We are a family. There is so much to say, but we will take a moment to grieve and process this incredible loss. If we are able to do so, we will say more about it in due course. Our thoughts and love are now with Matty’s family, his friends and all who loved him around the world.”

Matthew Perry has struggled with alcohol

Matthew Perry struggled with alcohol and drug problems for decades. In total, he reportedly went to rehab more than 65 times and rehab 15 times, which he said cost him more than $9 million. In a interview He reported that ‘Friends’ stars also stayed by his side during this difficult time. This also applies to Jennifer Aniston, who remained in close contact with him during his battle with addiction: “She was the one who contacted him the most. I am very grateful to her for that,” Perry said in the interview.

Even though Matthew Perry never won his battle with addiction and struggled with relapses his entire life, he was at least able to help other people. Actor and voice actor Hank Azaria, who lends his voice to Moe Szyslak and Chief Clancy Wiggum on ‘The Simpsons’ and had a recurring role as Phoebe’s friend David on ‘Friends,’ shared on Instagram Videoin which he expressed his sadness and emphasized how much Matthew Perry had helped him deal with his own drinking problem:

“Many of us close to him felt that we had lost him long ago to drugs and alcohol because, as he documented in his autobiography, there was so much suffering. […] I have been sober for 17 years and I want to say that Matthew took me to them the night I went to Alcoholics Anonymous. The entire first year of my sobriety, we went to meetings together. He was so caring, generous and wise. And he really helped me get sober. And I really wish he could have found that within himself and stuck to the sober life more consistently.