Matthew Perry: “Friends” guest stars say goodbye

In the past few hours, countless fans, colleagues and companions have said goodbye to “Friends” star Matthew Perry (1969-2023), who died at the age of just 54, particularly via social media. This includes numerous guest stars who briefly appeared on the popular sitcom alongside Perry and the other “Friends” during the 1990s and 2000s.

“It was a privilege to play his father-in-law”

“He had a gentleness and generosity of thought that was second to none,” (53), appearing in several episodes as Charlie Wheeler. Just from watching Perry at work, she learned how to tell a joke perfectly. She thanks the deceased “for the warmth and laughter.”

Christina Ricci (43), who appeared briefly in the spin-off “Joey”, also appeared. She burst into tears at the news of Perry’s death, even though she didn’t know him personally. “I never met Matthew Perry, but I loved him,” she writes. “Friends” saved her “several times during difficult and lonely times in my life.” When she was a teenager, she wanted to marry the character he played, Chandler Bing. “I saw all his films. He was a genius.”

Elliot Gould (85), who played Chandler’s father-in-law, first appeared in 1994 while filming “Friends”. “Matthew was kind, thoughtful, smart, funny and just an incredibly talented actor,” Gould writes. “Matthew told me it was such an honor to work with me. What he didn’t know until I told him was that it was a privilege to play his father-in-law.”

Matthew Perry was like a brother to Hank Azaria

Hank Azaria (59) also had his say. The actor, who briefly appeared in “Friends,” was also friends with Perry for many years. “Matthew was the first boyfriend I had in Los Angeles after I moved there. I was 21, he was 16,” Azaria recalls. “Matthew and I became really good friends and were more like brothers for a long time.” Privately, Perry was “the funniest man ever” and “just lived to laugh.”

The two were there for each other, especially at the beginning of their careers. Perry, who spoke openly about his long-standing addiction problems in his memoirs “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” among other things, helped him get away from alcohol. Azaria has been sober for 17 years because of his colleague and friend. He had to put the book down several times because it was so painful for him to read.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of our beloved friend Matthew,” said Marta Kauffman (67) and David Crane (66), the minds behind “Friends,” as well as executive producer Kevin S. Bright (68) according to . It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, “but in Matthew’s case there are no more accurate words. […] He was always the funniest person in the room.” He also had “a generous and selfless heart.”

Sarah Ferguson (64), Kathleen Turner (69), Morgan Fairchild (73) and Paget Brewster (54), who also made guest appearances, said goodbye to Perry. Maggie Wheeler (62), who played his girlfriend Janice, said: “What a loss. The world will miss you, Mathew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short life will live on. I feel so blessed by every creative moment we shared.”