Celebrities React to Matthew Perry’s Death at 54: Tributes From ‘Friends’ Stars, Julia Roberts, More

Marlo Thomas

The actress, who played Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel Green’s mom on Friends, recalled working with Matthew on the iconic series.

“I noticed how appreciative he was of the other actors,” Marlo told E! News on December 3. “And I remember when I did my very first scene, I walked into the coffee shop and he was sitting on the sofa, and he looked at me in a generous way. I could tell that he liked what I was doing. He gave that vibe off.”

She continued, “He had a very sweet smile on his face, and that said to me, ‘I like what you’re doing.’ And I remember that very much. They were all very nice, but it’s the one thing I remember specifically about him.”

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts, who had a “three-month courtship” with Matthew in the 1990s, broke her silence about the actor’s death in December 2023.

“The sudden passing of anybody so young is heartbreaking,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I think that, you know, it just helps all of us just appreciate what we have and to keep going in a positive way as best we can.”

She also reminisced about guest starring on one episode of Friends in 1996. “All good thoughts and feelings,” the actress confirmed. “They were all so welcoming to me as just a kind of one-off character and it was a really fun time.”

Keith Morrison

Matthew’s stepfather, longtime NBC newsman Keith Morrison, broke his silence about the actor’s death on November 28. In a post on X he wrote, “This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful,” with a link to the Matthew Perry Foundation.

The foundation was formed after the Friends alum died and the mission statement reads, “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction. It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible.”

Jennifer Aniston

On November 15, Matthew’s Friends costar posted a tribute to him on Instagram under a black and white photo of the two on set together.

“Oh boy this one has cut deep… Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before,” Jennifer wrote.

She continued, “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 6 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 the second slide…)”

She then attached a photo of a text exchange she had with her friend before his death. In response to Jennifer sending him a photo of them laughing together – the same photo she would later use in her tribute post – he said that making her laugh made his day. Jennifer replied to him at the time, “Awww the first of THOUSANDS of times.”

Jennifer’s Instagram tribute concluded with, “Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. 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…”

David Schwimmer

Matthew’s Friends costar David Schwimmer paid tribute to his late friend in a November 15 Instagram post. Under a throwback photo of the two posing together on the set of the hit sitcom, David injected a bit of humor into his touching message to Matthew.

“Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity. ​I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery. You could take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, resulting in something so entirely original and unexpectedly funny it still astonishes,” David wrote in his tribute. “And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers.”

David described the photo as “one of [his] favorite moments” with the actor, but one that now “makes [him] smile and grieve at the same time.”

He ended his message with, “I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around — ‘Could there BE any more clouds?’”

Alyson Hannigan

The How I Met Your Mother alum reflected on working with Matthew during Hollywood Game Night in 2013.
“He was so funny but not in that ‘I have to prove that I’m funny’ way,” Alyson told Us Weekly following Dancing With the Stars on October 31. “He would say things — almost just to himself — that I would be laughing about three days later. It’s just such a tragic loss.” She added he was very “nice” and noted, “I’m so glad that I got to have that opportunity with him.”

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson shared fond memories that she shared with Matthew when she paid tribute to him on her Instagram Story.

“We played tennis and played more tennis, talked endlessly about trials and tribulations of love and then would talk some more as we would laugh our asses off and then laughed some more,” Kate wrote. “I share the same sadness with all our film and TV community who shared time with Matthew. As you can see, to know him was to adore him. I send my love and condolences to his family and his work families. We love you Matthew.”

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer

The Friends “family” ​issued a joint statement on October 30.

“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the statement read. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

Hank Azaria

Hank Azaria appeared in five episodes of Friends throughout the show’s run and was close friends with Matthew off set. In a video tribute to the late actor, Hank said Matthew was his “first friend” in Hollywood after they acted in a pilot together.

“We were really more like brothers for a long time,” The Simpsons star shared. “We drank a lot together. We laughed a lot together. We were there for each other in the early days of our career.”

In the video, Hank called Matthew the “funniest man ever” and admitted that he would find himself “crying laughing” while spending time with him. He also credited Matthew with helping him in his own sobriety journey, saying the Friends star took him to his first AA meeting 17 years ago.

“That whole first year I was sober we went to meetings together,” he shared. “As a sober person, he was so caring and giving and wise, and he totally helped me get sober.”

Hank concluded his message with words of praise about Matthew’s acting career. “Professionally, as an actor, he was so brilliant. I just wish the world could have gotten what the rest of his career would have been.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

Matthew wrote about his brief fling with Gwyneth in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. After his death she posted a tribute to the actor that also reminisced about the time they spent together.

“I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts,” she wrote. “We were both there for most of the summer doing plays. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer. He had shot the pilot of Friends but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was. We stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart, but I was always happy to see him when I did. I am super sad today, as so many of us are. I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do.”

Ione Skye

Ione Skye, who starred in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon with Matthew in 1988, shared her last text messages with him just days before his death.

The actress posted screenshots of their exchange on Instagram on October 29 alongside a throwback photo of the pair together.

“I’m very very sad,” Ione captioned the slideshow. “Loved this guy.”

Matthew’s text chain to his former costar began on October 15 with, “Hi! I hope all is well. I was meditating (I meditate now) and ‘In You [sic] Eyes’ started playing. And I instantly thought of how beautiful you are.”

He continued the conversation by adding, “Hope you are healthy and happy.”

Khloe Kardashian

“Rest in peace,” Khloe Kardashian wrote on Twitter, along with a broken heart emoji. “Heartbroken. Unbelievable.”

Selma Blair

Selma Blair posted a selfie with Matthew along with her tribute on Instagram. “My oldest boy friend,” she shared. “All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he did me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”

Rumer Willis

In her tribute, Rumer Willis recalled meeting Matthew Perry as a child and reflected on the great memories she had.

“I’m so sad to hear about Matthew Perry passing,” she wrote. “When I was a kid and I was on set while he and my dad [Bruce Willis] were doing Whole Nine [Yards] and Whole 10 Yards. He was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me and I think his physical comedy and that movie still makes me laugh so much. I know he had many challenges in his life and brought a lot of joy to people with his comedy. I hope he can rest peacefully.”

Adele

Adele was performing in Las Vegas when news broke about Matthew’s death. She stopped her show to honor him.

“He was so open with his struggles with addiction and sobriety, which I think is incredibly, incredibly brave,” Adele said. She also discussed his work as Chandler Bing on Friends and added, “I’ll remember that character for the rest of my life. He’s probably the best comedic character of all time.”

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Olivia Munn posted a photo of Matthew on her Instagram Story with the following tribute: “He struggled so much with addiction and was brave enough to be open and honest about it. I’m so sorry to his family and friends who are getting this news today. Nothing short of heartbreaking.” 

Shannen Doherty

Matthew appeared on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 with Shannen Doherty, but they had a friendship outside of work, as well.

“We were a gang way back,” she recalled. “We all grew up together going to the Formosa, North and constantly laughing. Matt, Roger, David, Roxana. We played dare and Matt had to say ridiculous things to girls at the bar. We just always had fun and supported each other. You would always find us all together in a booth speaking in our own made up language. And yes, Matt always had THAT sense of humor. Matt and I had a date and it was on Valentine’s Day. He wanted to get a reservation at a restaurant in Malibu but couldn’t so my dad got the reservation for him. We went and he talked about my dads Irish persuasiveness the majority of the night. Our friendship spanned a long time. A lifetime really. I know many are hurting, especially our little gang. He will be missed by many and definitely by us. Yes. I could be more poetic or say things better but right now, shock and sadness prevail.”

Alyssa Milano

Matthew starred on an episode of Who’s The Boss? with Alyssa Milano and she had many fond memories with the actor.

“Matty was always the funniest person in the room. And the KINDEST. He was kind,” she shared. “Matty, remember when we used to go play bingo at that church in the valley? You made me laugh that painful kind of laugh. A cry laugh. You made me cry-laugh. My condolences to all who loved him.”

Viola Davis

In her tribute, Viola Davis recalled the effect Matthew’s memoir had on some of her loved ones. “This is devastating,” she wrote. “Your book shifted so many close to my heart. The people no one sees and most throw away. It was a gift. Beyond the joy you brought to many, your heart reigned supreme. Rest well…..know that you brought love.”

Yvette Nicole Brown

Matthew’s The Odd Couple costar, Yvette Nicole Brown, was devastated by the news of his passing. “Our #OddCouple family suffered a great loss today,” she wrote “The entire entertainment world has. I am too sad about the news to say more than this: @mattyperry4 was a sweetheart who deserved more peace in this life. I am heartbroken to hear of his passing. And am sad for the great talent the world has lost because of it. 54 is too young to go. We love you, Matty! #RIPMatthewPerry.”