The five remaining “Friends” spoke out on Monday in a joint statement following the sudden death of Matthew Perry, 54, who reportedly drowned in his hot tub on Saturday.
David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc released a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, expressing their profound grief at the loss of their longtime cast-mate and real-life friend.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the statement read. “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. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world,” the statement concluded.
The show’s co-creators — Marta Kauffman and David Crane — also released a joint statement alongside executive producer Kevin Bright, saying that Perry was “brilliant” and “beloved.”
“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,” they wrote, adding, “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 send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken,” they concluded, adding a nod to the series tradition of naming episodes “The One Where …”
Perry spent much of 2022 doing interviews along with the release of his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” During one such interview he said that rather than his accomplishments as an actor, he’d prefer to be remembered for the things he did to help the people around him — particularly those who struggled as he had for much of his life with addiction.
