Matthew Perry's Friends' castmates 'destroyed' by news of his death, says director
Matthew Perry's Friends' costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow were "devastated" by news of his death when they were told in a text message by director James Burrows, the 82-year-old has said.
Burrows told the Today Show on Thursday that he reached out to "the girls" - the series' three female leads - after learning Perry, known for his role as Chandler Bing, had been found dead at his home on Sunday, aged 54.
"They were destroyed," he said. "It's a brother dying."
He did not say whether he had spoken to Matt LeBlanc or David Schwimmer, who played Joey Tribbiani and Ross Geller, respectively.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the five stars paid tribute.
"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," read their statement, published by PEOPLE magazine.
"There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."
"In time we will say more, as and when we are able.
"For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
The death of Perry shocked the industry and beyond, prompting an outpouring of grief, as well as a conversation around drug addiction and alcoholism.
Perry spoke openly about battling with his health and trying to stay sober, as detailed in his 2022 memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Other cast members paid tribute to his legacy on social media.
Hank Azaria, who starred as Phoebe Buffay's scientist beau David before he leaves her brokenhearted for a project in Belarus, opened up on acting alongside Perry for a number of years in the 80s and 90s.
"Matthew was the first friend I made in Los Angeles when I moved there. I was 21 he was 16," Azaria said in a video on social media... We drank a lot together, we laughed a lot together. We were there for each other in the early days of our career and he was to me, as funny as he was on Friends and he was and other things too, in person he was just the funniest man ever.
"And every night, he was like a genius, he would start to weave comedy threads together, just hanging out – little joke here, joke there, joke here, joke there – and then by the end of the night he would weave them all together in this crescendo of hilarity."
Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler’s on-and-off girlfriend, Janice Hosenstein, said: “What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on.”
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