Peace be with you, Matthew Perry. The late Friends actor was buried on Friday.
The actor was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, which is next to Warner Bros. Studios, where he filmed Friends, according to ET.The Friday afternoon funeral was attended by his family and friends, including David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc, who were all previous cast members.
Chandler Bing was the most well-known character Perry played on NBC’s Friends.
Perry’s body was found in his Los Angeles, California, home’s hot pool on October 28. He is survived by his parents, Suzanne Morrison and John Bennett Perry. His age was fifty-four.
Friends’ five main co-stars—Pearl, Aniston, Kudrow, LeBlanc, and Schwimmer—released a joint statement on October 30 in response to Perry’s loss.
The loss of Matthew has deeply affected all of us. On the show, we were more than simply coworkers. They declared in their statement, “We are a family.” “There are so many things to say, but we’re going to need some time to process this incredible loss and grieve,”
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the statement continued. “Our love and prayers are with Matty’s friends, family, and everyone who has loved him wherever they are in the world for the time being.”
Perry was honest about his struggles with addiction in his biography Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing, published in 2022. In an interview at the time, he also disclosed that he wished to be remembered for more than just his acting career and the 10 seasons he spent playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom on NBC.
“It is without a doubt the best thing about me when someone comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking.’” Could you help me? Perry said, “Yes, and follow up and do it,” in a November 2022 Q interview with Tom Power. And I’ve been saying this for a long time: I want that to be the first topic of conversation when I die away, not my pals. And for the rest of my life, I plan on proving it.
Despite Perry’s passing, that goal was met on November 3rd when the Matthew Perry Foundation, a nonprofit that assists people struggling with drug addiction, was announced.
The organization will continue Perry’s life’s work of helping others struggling with addiction, which he declared was “paramount” to him before he died away, according to a statement sent to ET.
“The Matthew Perry Foundation was established as a result of Matthew Perry’s steadfast commitment to helping individuals who are struggling with addiction,” the statement read. “It will honor his legacy, be inspired by his own words and experiences, and driven by his desire to make a positive difference in the lives of as many people as possible.”
