The sudden death of actor Matthew Perry at the age of just 54 shocked many. Over the weekend, Perry was laid to rest, with his funeral drawing family, friends, and loved ones – including the family he made along the way with the cast of Friends.
Perry’s funeral took place on Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, not far from Warner Bros. Studio, PEOPLE reports, where most of Friends, especially apartment scenes, was shot on location. According to a source, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Courteney Cox all attended the service. In a joint statement responding to Perry’s death, the castmates said, “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”
The cast of ‘Friends’ mourned Matthew Perry at his funeral
Matthew Perry's family departs from his funeral with heavy hearts. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time. 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/kEVs7fUgXn
— Iris (@Iris_i_Life) November 4, 2023
The cast of Friends was right there beside Perry’s family for his funeral, which BBC reports was a private ceremony. The outlet also reports that aerial photos from outside the event showed about twenty people in attendance, all dressed in black. Heartbreakingly, as one Twitter user noted, the cast would have taken a similar path each day to film for Friends, yet this time at the last minute they turned in the opposite direction to mourn one of their own. Among them, in addition to his five co-stars, were Perry’s mother, father, and stepfather.
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Perry’s father, John Bennett Perry, is a former model and actor with multiple television credits to his name. His mother, Suzanne, worked as a press secretary for the Prime Minister of Canada; she remarried and tied the knot with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison. All three were seen supporting one another hours after news broke of Perry’s untimely passing.
The first and final thing to be mentioned
Perry had a long and troubled history with drug and alcohol abuse and after coming out of his battle, he wanted to establish a foundation to uplift others in a similarly dark place. He was transparent about his struggles with drug addiction, especially in his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which he released last year.
Ultimately, it was his loved ones who would see his dream realized, setting up The Matthew Perry Foundation and its website, which went live on Friday.
Friends stars arriving at Matthew Perry’s funeral to say their last goodbyes pic.twitter.com/rLRUv2WNmF
— Friends Addiction (@friendsadiciton) November 4, 2023
“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned,” reads a quote by Perry on its website, “I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned.”
The foundation is dedicated to honoring this wish. “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction,” the organization’s mission statement declares. “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.”
