Matt LeBlanc mourns Matthew Perry two weeks after his tragic death aged 54  and shares heartbreaking Friends picture of all six stars: ‘I’ll never forget you. Never’

• READ MORE: Michael J Fox reveals Perry’s generous donation after signing Friends contract that made him a millionaire

Matt LeBlanc has paid an emotional tribute to Matthew Perry – two weeks after his shock death aged 54.

Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday, October 28 – the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that his cause of death has been ‘deferred’ with the investigation considered ‘ongoing’ by authorities. 

Friends icon LeBlanc, 56, who played Perry’s character Chandler Bing’s best friend Joey Tribbiani, wrote on Instagram: ‘Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life.

‘It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.

‘Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love.,

Forever Chandler and Joey: Matt LeBlanc has paid an emotional tribute to Matthew Perry – two weeks after his shock death aged 54

Tragic loss: Perry died of an accidental ‘drowning’ in his jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. Police found prescription pills at the home, but no illegal drugs, sources said (pictured 2022)

Six stars: Friends icon LeBlanc, 56, who played Perry’s character Chandler Bing’s best friend Joey Tribbiani, wrote on Instagram: ‘Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life’

‘And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.’ 

LeBlanc shared a heartbreaking photo of the Friends cast – also comprising Jennifer Aniston, 54, David Schwimmer, 57, Lisa Kudrow, 60 and Courteney Cox, 59, embracing with Perry at the finale taping in 2004 – a snap previously shared in 2021.

He posted photos of Joey and Chandler embracing during the show.

Last month the five Friends stars released a joint official statement about the actor’s tragic passing.

‘We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,’ they told People. ‘There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.’

The stars continued: ‘In time we will say more, as and when we are able,’ the statement continues. ‘For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.’ 

Perry was laid to rest in a simple hour-long service at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles on November 3 – in a ceremony attended by his Friends co-stars.

An onlooker told DailyMail.com: ‘Ms Aniston was one of the first to arrive. She kept herself to herself. This is a high profile gathering.’

Dynamic duo: ‘It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never’

Close bond: He posted photos of Joey and Chandler embracing during the show

Iconic: The pair’s bromance during the show won them fans all over the world

Heartbroken: Perry’s five co-stars from Friends previously released a joint official statement about the actor’s tragic passing

His tearful mother Suzanne Morrison, 84, and Dateline journalist stepfather Keith, 76, were both at the private event, as was his father John Perry, 82. Keith Morrison was one of the pallbearers. 

The cemetery is opposite Warner Bros Studios, where Friends was filmed for 10 seasons, and is the final resting place of a galaxy of Hollywood stars – among them Carrie Fisher, Bette Davis, Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, Paul Walker, Brittany Murphy and Anne Heche. 

Perry died of an accidental ‘drowning’ in his jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. Police found prescription pills at the home, but no illegal drugs, sources said. 

Perry had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball – a sport similar to tennis but played on a smaller court – earlier in the day, before sending his assistant out on an errand. When they returned, Perry was said to be found unresponsive in his hot tub. 

His body was taken from his house by the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office hours after his death.  

Perry rose to fame in his role as ‘Chandler Bing’ on the hit 90s sitcom Friends, which ran for ten seasons. 

He had just recently posted a picture of him and his father John Bennett Perry who joined him on a Friends episode in 1998. 

He was born in Massachusetts and raised in Canada by his mother Suzanne Marie after his parents divorced when he was one-year-old. 

Perry was a natural fit for the role of Chandler, beloved for his sarcastic one-liners, and many of his mannerisms grew from the actor’s own behavior.

He said in his memoir: ‘It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life. One character in particular stood out to me: it wasn’t that I thought I could ‘play’ Chandler. I ‘was’ Chandler.’

Perry later revealed that when he was first cast in the sitcom at the age of 24, that is when his alcohol addiction really came to light. 

He said years later that by the end of the 10th series of the hit show, he became ‘entrenched in a lot of trouble.’ 

In a 2016 he admitted that he didn’t remember three seasons of filming because he was a ‘little out of it at the time’.

At one point during his time on Friends, Perry said he was taking 55 Vicodin painkillers a day and was down to 128lb but yet he ‘didn’t know how to stop.’

Following his sudden death many took to social media and gave tribute to the late actor, specifically for his role as Chandler in Friends. 

Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada attended school with Perry when he lived in the country and wrote a touching post about him. 

‘Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. 

‘Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed,’ Trudeau said. 

Warner Bros, which produced Friends, said in a statement: ‘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.’ 

After moving to LA, Perry starred as Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys and also had roles in shows including sitcom Growing Pains before becoming a global superstar as Chandler.

‘This was the only guy to play him,’ creator of Friends Marta Kauffman said in the 2021 reunion special. 

The star laid bare the height of his terrible drug and alcohol addiction battle which nearly cost him his life in a memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.  

Perry also revealed that his colon ruptured as a result of his opioid addiction when he was 49.

Doctors gave him only a two percent chance of survival and he was in a coma for two weeks followed by months more in the hospital.

Perry required 14 surgeries to help repair all of the abdominal damage, and he admitted to having gone to rehab 15 times over the years in hopes of kicking his drug addiction. 

On Monday, Perry’s five co-stars from Friends have released a joint official statement about the actor’s tragic passing. 

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer all signed the statement, telling fans they are heartbroken by the news.

‘We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,’ they told People. ‘There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.’

The stars continued: ‘In time we will say more, as and when we are able,’ the statement continues. ‘For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.’

Perry famously starred as Chandler Bing in the popular sitcom, alongside Aniston as Rachel, Cox as Monica, LeBlanc as Joey, Kudrow as Phoebe and Schwimmer as Ross.

Maggie Wheeler, whose character dated Perry from the show’s second season to third, was among the first to publicly mourn her late costar on social media.

Former costar to Perry, Maggie Wheeler (pictured) mourned his loss.  Her character was known for being the his on-screen boyfriend, and her nasally voice as she screamed her catchphrase: ‘Oh my God’

Friends was a huge global hit as it ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004

‘What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry,’ she captioned the image, which showed her looking at him adoringly as she portrayed her character, Janice Litman-Goralnik. 

Perry also starred in several films including 17 Again starring Zac Efron, Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek, and Getting In with comedian Dave Chapelle.

He featured in The Whole Nine Yards, and The Kid with Bruce Willis – who was a guest star in the sixth series of Friends.

Perry never married and ended his engagement to Molly Hurwitz, a talent manager, in 2021.

He dated several well-known actresses including Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan.

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