Matthew Perry's ex-fiancée, 'Friends' co-stars grieve actor: 'The world will miss you'
Matthew Perry's family has spoken out on the death of the 54-year-old "Friends" actor over the weekend.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother," the family told People in an exclusive statement on Sunday. "Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."
His "Friends" family broke their silence on Monday to share their grief. Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc released a joint statement paying tribute to their friend and co-star, which read: "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.
"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," their statement continued. "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
Appreciation: Why Matthew Perry was 'Friends' with all of us: Remembering the iconic actor
Matthew Perry's ex-fiancée Molly Hurwitz breaks silence: 'He was complicated'
Perry's ex-fiancé, Molly Hurwitz, has opened up about her relationship with the actor. The talent manager and producer, who was engaged to Perry for several months from 2020 to 2021, posted a tribute to Perry on Instagram Monday.
"He would love that the world is talking about how talented he was," Hurwitz, 32, wrote in a caption alongside a silhouette of the late actor. "And he really was very talented."
"As the 'Friends' reunion was approaching, we rewatched the show together. We rewound and studied scenes," she said. "Our respect and appreciation of humor is something that connected us. Being with him as he rediscovered his brilliance was magical."
Hurwitz also shared that beyond the positive memories, her former fiancé was "complicated."
"I obviously knew that man in a very different way, too," she said. "While I loved him deeper than I could comprehend, he was complicated, and he caused pain like I'd never known.
"No one in my adult life has had a more profound impact on me than Matthew Langford Perry," she continued. "I have tremendous gratitude for that, for everything I learned from our relationship."
Hurwitz hinted at Perry's battle with alcoholism, sharing information on the mutual aid group Alcoholics Anonymous.
"I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Al Anon, an invaluable resource for those who love someone struggling with this destructive disease," she added. "Matty, I feel relief that you are at peace."
'Friends' co-stars, sitcom's creators mourn their 'beloved friend Matthew'
"Friends" co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright said they were "shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing" in a joint statement to USA TODAY on Sunday.
"We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment - not just to his work, but in life as well," the statement read. "He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart."
The statement concluded with a nod to the "Friends" episode title format: "This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken."
Kauffman and Crane spoke to TODAY's Hoda Kotb, in an interview airing Wednesday, about the last time they spoke to Perry.
"It was great," Kauffman tells Kotb, according to a story published by TODAY on Tuesday. "He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair."
"We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans," the official "Friends" and Warner Bros. Instagram accounts posted.
Morgan Fairchild, 73, who played Chandler Bing's TV mom on the hit NBC series, wrote a tribute on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I’m heartbroken about the untimely death of my 'son' Matthew Perry," Fairchild wrote. "The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his friends & family, especially his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I worked with on Flamingo Road & Falcon Crest. #RIPMatthew."
Maggie Wheeler, 62, who starred as Perry's on-and-off girlfriend Janice Hosenstein throughout the 10-season run of "Friends," from 1994 to 2004, posted a tribute on Instagram featuring the TV couple in happy times.
"What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry," Wheeler wrote. "The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared. ??"
Matthew Perry dies: 'Friends' star and sitcom great was 54
Adele, Viola Davis recognize Matthew Perry's openness about his addiction recovery
Adele delivered a lengthy remembrance at her Las Vegas residency after word broke of Perry's death. “He was so open with his struggles with addiction and sobriety, which I think is incredibly, incredibly brave,” Adele told her audience.
She fondly recalled a childhood pal who did a perfect impersonation of the actor's beloved "Friends" role as Chandler Bing. "I’ll remember that character for the rest of my life,” Adele said. "He's probably the best comedic character of all time."
Viola Davis expressed gratitude for Perry's honesty about addiction in his 2022 memoir. "Your book shifted so many close to my heart. The people no one sees and most throwaway. It was a gift," she wrote on Instagram. "Beyond the joy you brought to many, your heart reigned supreme."
Former co-stars Salma Hayek Pinault, Shannen Doherty reflect on their connection with Matthew Perry
"Fools Rush In" co-star Salma Hayek Pinault took to Instagram on Monday to reflect on her enduring connection with Perry from the 1997 film.
"Two days ago, I woke up to the shocking news that Matthew Perry is no longer with us. It’s taken me a couple of days to process this profound sadness," Hayek Pinault wrote in her caption. "I was very moved last year when Matthew shared on his Instagram stories how much he loved 'Fools Rush In,' and how he thought that that film we did together was probably his best movie. Throughout the years, he and I found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude."
She concluded, "My friend, you are gone much too soon, but I will continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance, and your lovely heart. Farewell, sweet Matthew, we will never forget you."
Shannen Doherty, who appeared opposite Perry on "Beverly Hills 90210," described them as "lifetime" friends and shared a throwback photo on Instagram.
"We were a gang way back. … We just always had fun and supported each other. You would always find us all together in a booth speaking in our own made up language," she wrote. "I could be more poetic or say things better but right now, shock and sadness prevail."
'SNL,' Gwyneth Paltrow, Rainn Wilson and more remember Matthew Perry: 'A genius'
Gwyneth Paltrow reminisced in a heartfelt Instagram post about the "magical summer" she spent with Perry when the two met at a theater festival in Massachusetts in 1993.
"He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass," Paltrow wrote. "He had shot the pilot of Friends but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was."
The Goop founder added that while they later "drifted apart," she was "always happy" when the two reconnected. "I am super sad today, as so many of us are," she wrote. "I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do."
"He was, and I use this term rarely, a genius," Rainn Wilson wrote on Instagram. Chandler was one of the all-time great characters and his ability to spin a slightly funny line into absolute comedy gold was unsurpassed."
"SNL" paid respects by flashing a picture of Perry onscreen just before the evening's guest host, comedian Nate Bargatze, signed off live from the stage. Perry hosted "SNL" in October 1997.
Rumer Willis recalled being on the set of "The Whole Nine Yards" and sequel "The Whole Ten Yards" with Perry and her dad, Bruce Willis. "He was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me," she wrote in an Instagram Story. "That movie still makes me laugh so much.”
Selma Blair posted a photograph smiling with Perry on her Instagram page, calling the "Friends" star "my oldest boy friend."
“All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day,” Blair wrote. “I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”
Alyssa Milano, who co-starred with Perry in "Dance 'til Dawn," dubbed him "the funniest person in the room. And the KINDEST ... You made me cry-laugh," she wrote on Instagram.
Wendell Pierce, who appeared with Perry on a reboot of “The Odd Couple,” remembered Perry on X as "a giving, kind, funny man. I pray and hope he is at peace.”
"You sweet, troubled soul!! May you find peace and happiness in Heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit!!!" Mira Sorvino, who appeared with Perry in the 1994 TV movie "Parallel Lives," wrote on X.
Charlie Puth's tribute to Matthew Perry with 'Friends' theme song moves fans
Justin Trudeau thanks Matthew Perry 'for all the laughs'
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who went to school with Perry, posted on X: "Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed." (Perry's mother worked as press secretary for Trudeau's father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau,)
The account for the Ottawa Senators posted on X: "Saddened to learn about the passing of Matthew Perry, one of Ottawa’s proudest sons and ????? biggest hockey fan."
Nancy Sinatra said: "Happy trails to you, Matt. Thanks for being you. Wishing you a peaceful journey home through the stars. If you loved Matthew Perry as I did read his book. You will learn a lot about him."
Author Stephanie Land wrote a tribute on X that many fans of "Friends" could relate to: "My comfort show when I'm traveling. Because no matter where you are, there's always an episode of Friends to keep you company if you can't sleep. We'll miss you, Matthew Perry. I hope you know that somehow."
The comedian Tom Green wrote on X: "Shocked and saddened to just hear about the passing of Matthew Perry ... He is one of the many talented and incredible success stories from my hometown of Ottawa, Canada. Rest in peace Matthew."
TBS announces 'best of Chandler' marathon
Perry co-starred on "Friends" for the entire 10-season run of what was then TV's No. 1 comedy. Though he went on to star in a number of films and TV series, including "17 Again" and "Mr. Sunshine," it was his role as Chandler Bing on "Friends," opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, that defined his career.
Starting Wednesday, TBS will remember Perry by airing Chandler Bing's best moments on "Friends" in the week following the actor's death.
On Wednesday, Chandler's "most hilarious and heartwarming episodes" will be broadcast 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The best episodes of Chandler and Joey's friendship will air Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the best of Monica and Chandler's relationship can be seen 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday.
Encores will run 6 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 6:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Gary Levin, Laura Trujillo, Kim Willis, KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Perry tributes: 'Friends' co-stars, ex-fiancée, Adele and more
Solve the daily Crossword
