Matthew Perry death: Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow breaks silence, co-stars share tributes

Matthew Perry’s Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay alongside Perry’s Chandler Bing, is reportedly “baffled” by his death.

The actress has said “the gang” are struggling to believe he is gone, and spoke of adopting his dog and attending the funeral along with the rest of his castmates.

A source close to Kudrow told the Daily Mail, “This does not seem real or fair to her or any of the gang, because Matthew was finally at peace with himself and was having the best year of his life since his book launch almost exactly one year ago. He was enjoying life.

Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing. Photo / NBCU / Getty Images

“He was closer than ever to his folks and actively engaged in his sobriety. She is baffled on what caused his death.”

Perry’s official cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Kudrow’s co-stars Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox are yet to comment.

Meanwhile, Friends fans have gathered outside the New York building used in the hit show. Tributes have been laid outside the Greenwich Village building that was used for external shots for the comedy, that was filmed mainly in Los Angeles. The Daily Mail reported that some left notes, and one grieving fan left a single cigarette in reference to the episode where Perry’s character Chandler Bing attempted to give up smoking.

The iconic show’s co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane shared a statement on social media earlier today, writing on X of Perry, “We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives.

“He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. 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. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart. We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”

Hank Azaria, who played Phoebe’s love interest David on the show, shared a video on Instagram revealing he’d been friends with Perry since his teenage years.

“We were really more like brothers for a long time ... he was, to me, as funny as he was on Friends. And other things too. In person, he was just the funniest man ever. He just lived to laugh. He was a genius,” he shared amid tears.

Azaria added that despite Perry’s own battles with substance abused, the actor had helped him achieve sobriety.

“I’m a sober guy for 17 years, and I wanna say that, the night I went into AA [Alcoholics Anonymous], Matthew brought me in ... we went to meetings together. He was so caring and giving and wise. And he totally helped me get sober,” he continued.

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. pic.twitter.com/Xv6HkpSEBl

— FRIENDS (@FriendsTV) October 29, 2023

Paget Brewster, who had a six-episode arc on the show, wrote online, “I’m so very sad to hear about @MatthewPerry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after.

“Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though.. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.”