'I’ll never forget you': Matt LeBlanc and Courtney Cox pay tribute to Friends co-star Matthew Perry
Matt LeBlanc has paid tribute to his late Friends co-star Matthew Perry, and said that some of his “favourite times” were spent with the actor.
LeBlanc, 56, played Joey Tribbiani in the hit US sitcom and starred alongside Perry in his role as Joey’s sarcastic and witty best friend Chandler Bing.
On Tuesday, more than two weeks on from Perry’s death, LeBlanc posted a heartfelt message to his Instagram page saying goodbye to his friend.
Alongside a selection of pictures, which showed the pair in their roles, LeBlanc wrote: “Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye.
"The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. 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. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me."
LeBlanc is the first of Perry's Friends co-stars to pay individual tribute to the actor, who rose to fame playing the sarcastic and witty character Chandler Bing.
The Friends actors posted a joint statement in response to Perry's death on October 31, saying they are "so utterly devastated" by his passing.
"We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," the statement said, as 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."
Courteney Cox also shared one of her favourite moments of her late co-star Matthew Perry on Friends.
The actress, who played Monica Geller on the US sitcom opposite Perry as Chandler Bing, said she is “so grateful for every moment” she had alongside the actor who died on October 28.
She wrote on Instagram beside a clip from the show: “When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here’s one of my favourites.
“To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story.
“In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say. He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind.”
Perry was laid to rest on November 4 in Los Angeles at a private funeral attended by Jennifer Anniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow.
He died aged 54 after an apparent drowning.
Want more entertainment news? Listen to our podcast, Unscripted...