Tributes continue to pour in for Matthew Perry, the beloved Friends actor who died at his Los Angeles home on October 28 at the age of 54.
In recent days, Perry’s co-stars on the beloved sitcom have broken their silence and shared heartwarming tributes to the late actor. Today, David Schwimmer, who played Ross, shared his memories of Matthew Perry.
Schwimmer, 57, shared a photo of himself and Matthew Perry on the set of Friends, and shared a touching tribute to his late co-star.
“Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity,” Schwimmer began. “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,” he continued. “Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers.”
Schwimmer shared a photo of the two from the Friends episode “The One with All the Thanksgivings,” where Ross and Chandler are suited up ’80s style.
“This photo is from one of my favorite moments with you. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time,” the actor wrote. “I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around— ‘Could there BE any more clouds?'” he concluded, referencing Perry’s iconic catchphrase.
Like the entire Friends cast, Perry and Schwimmer were close on set and remained friends after the series ended in 2004. In Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, he credited Schwimmer, who was offered more money than his co-stars, for sharing the wealth and helping to negotiate equal pay.
“David had certainly been in a position to go for the most money, and he didn’t,” Perry wrote. “I would like to think that I would have made the same move, but as a greedy 25-year-old, I’m not sure I would have. But his decision served to make us take care of each other through what turned out to be a myriad of stressful network negotiations, and it gave us a tremendous amount of power.”
“We had David’s goodness, and his astute business sense, to thank for what we had been offered. I owe you about $30m, David.”
Matthew Perry was found dead in his home in Los Angeles on October 28. Friends found the actor in his hot tub. While Perry had battled drug and alcohol addiction for much of his life, he had been sober in recent years and no illegal drugs were found on the scene. An official cause of death has not been announced.
Tributes from “Friends” cast members
Days after his passing, the surviving Friends cast members released a joint statement: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” their statement read.
“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
In recent days, Matt LeBlanc, Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston have all released personal tributes to the late actor.
“It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” LeBlanc wrote on Instagram. “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,” he continued. “And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me,” he joked.
Cox, who played Chandler’s love interest-turned-wife Monica, shared a funny behind-the-scenes memory from the first time their characters hooked up, and praised her co-star for his humor and kindness: “I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” Cox wrote.
Earlier today, Aniston released her tribute to Perry in a sweet Instagram post. “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.
“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?'” she wrote. “Rest little brother. You always made my day.”
Another heartwarming tribute from one of Matthew Perry’s Friends co-stars. It’s clear that this cast was there for each other both on screen and in real life. Rest in peace, Matthew Perry ❤️?
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