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On October 28, the heartbreaking news of actor Matthew Perry’s untimely death at the age of 54 left millions around the world heartbroken. While fans who never met the actor felt a loss, it was family, friends, and his network, that felt the pain on a deeper level. Among those who knew Perry on a personal level, was his Friends co-star, Jennifer Aniston, who is reportedly profoundly impacted.
© GettyImagesAniston and Perry’s co-stars, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer from the beloved show released a joint statement a few days after his death on November 1 and attended Perry’s funeral at the Forest Lawn cemetery on November 3.
Although Aniston has not shared her own statement, a source told Page Six, among the surviving cast, she and Courtney Cox are “reeling the most, and Jen is probably the one who is struggling most acutely.”
Perry’s death came two weeks before the anniversary of her father’s passing, who passed on November 11th, 2022. “It’s a second massive loss in less than a year, they said. “She still hasn’t fully regained her footing from that, and now this has just completely knocked her off her feet.”
Matthew and Jennifer’s friendship
© GettyImagesThe actor had been very open about his struggles with addiction, and his death came with unanswered questions. Perry was found dead in his jacuzzi from what looked like an apparent drowning, and a full toxicology report is pending to see what, if anything, contributed to his death.
While there are still unanswered questions, one thing certain is Perry’s gratitude for Aniston’s friendship.
They met through mutual friends three years before they started working on the show. Perry recalled his crush in his memoir, writing, “I was immediately taken by her (how could I not be?) and liked her.”
He explained that she gently turned him down after he asked her out, saying that she’d love to be friends. They would go on to star in the sitcom, and it was his old crush who first confronted him about his drinking while working on the show. Aniston confronted him in his trailer saying, “I know you’re drinking.”
“I had long since gotten over her — ever since she started dating Brad Pitt, I was fine — and had worked out exactly how long to look at her without it being awkward, but still, to be confronted by Jennifer Aniston was devastating,” Perry wrote.
In his October 22, 2022, interview with Diane Sawyer, Perry said, “She was the one who reached out the most. I am truly grateful to her for that.”
