Jennifer Aniston Mourns Loss Of 'Little Brother' Matthew Perry, Shares Personal Text That 'Says It All'
Jennifer Aniston is the latest member of the Friends ensemble to pay personal, heartfelt tribute to late co-star Matthew Perry, who died in October at the age of 54.
"Oh boy, this one has cut deep," Aniston wrote on Instagram early Wednesday. "Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really sit in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the [six] of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be. For Matty, he knew he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn't hear the 'laugh' he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple weeks, I've been pouring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I'll keep them forever and ever. I found one text that he sent me out of nowhere one day. It says it all." [See photo, below]
"Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain," Aniston concluded. "I talk to you every day... sometimes I can almost hear you saying, 'Could you be any crazier?' Rest little brother. You always made my day... "
Aniston's remembrance comes just hours after Friends co-stars Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc posted their own tributes to Perry. (Read Cox's here and LeBlanc's here.) David Schwimmer, meanwhile, also took to Instagram Wednesday, to mourn his late colleague.
Perry died Oct. 28 after his assistant found the actor unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. Initial speculation that he had drowned has not been confirmed, although TMZ reports that there were no drugs found at the scene and foul play is not suspected.
Two days later, Aniston, Cox, LeBlanc, Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow reacted to Perry's death with a joint statement. "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew," the quintet's statement began. "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," the statement continued. "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and fellow EP Kevin Bright, also penned a tribute. "We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew's passing," the trio wrote on Oct. 29. "It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives."
Perry's role as Chandler on Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004, made him and his costars household names. He was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He was nominated four other times, including twice for his guest work on The West Wing.
Additional TV credits included NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, CBS' Odd Couple reboot and the short-lived sitcoms Mr. Sunshine (on ABC) and Go On (on NBC).