Last night, Matthew Perry was found dead in his home at the age of 54, stunning his many friends and fans around the world and prompting an outpouring of tributes to him and to the way he impacted people’s lives with his sense of humor. His Friends costars have been quiet, understandably (given the tragic shock of all of this), but some other actors who had memorable experiences with Perry on the iconic sitcom have shared their thoughts.
Maggie Wheeler, who played the on-again-off-again girlfriend of Perry’s Chandler on Friends, posted on Instagram: “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.” Paget Brewster, who played Kathy (the woman who kissed Chandler while she was dating Joey, prompting the famous episode where Joey puts Chandler in a box as punishment), said Perry was “lovely” to her on Friends and every time she saw him after that, adding, “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.”
Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler’s mother on Friends, said she was “heartbroken” by his death and called him “a brilliant young actor.” Paul Rudd, who joined the show late as Phoebe’s love interest, posted: “Words can’t express how saddened I am to hear of Matthew’s passing. You will be missed so so so dearly.”
Yvette Nicole Brown, Wendell Pierce, and Lisa Ann Walter—who worked with Perry on The Odd Couple—also shared memories, with Brown saying he was “a sweetheart who deserved more peace in his life” and Pierce saying he was “a giving, kind, funny man.” Walter noted that, when she appeared on the show, she told Perry that his moment in The Whole Nine Yards when he runs into a patio door is “one of the top comedic moments” she’s ever witnessed, and he responded with a smile so big that she “thought he’d crack his face.” She added, “It was beautiful.”
Friends from Perry’s personal life also paid tribute to him, with Shannen Doherty posting on Instagram that they had dated when they were young, sharing a story about a time he couldn’t get them a reservation at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day and had to get her dad to do it for him. She said that he “always had THAT sense of humor” and said that they had been friends for “a lifetime.” Selma Blair also posted that Perry was her “oldest boy friend,” saying: “All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I love him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who went to school with Perry and famously once got beaten up by Perry and one of his friends (though there were reportedly no hard feelings between the two of them later in life), called the actor’s death “shocking and saddening.” He said that he’ll “never forget that schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them.”
Mira Sorvino posted a touching bit of Perry’s own words about how he’d like to be remembered:
Last night’s Saturday Night Live, which aired shortly after Perry’s death was announced, paid silent tribute to him during the broadcast (he hosted a 1997 episode with Oasis), and more tributes from people like Rainn Wilson, Meredith Salenger, Adele, Melissa Rivers, Alyssa Milano, and Viola Davis have been popping online since the news was confirmed.