Matthew Perry’s passing in October 2023 at the age of 54 has prompted a flood of tributes, particularly from those who worked alongside him on Friends. Perry, who died at his Los Angeles home due to a ketamine overdose, is remembered fondly by his co-stars.
Lisa Kudrow, known for her role as Phoebe on Friends, shared a touching memory earlier this year. She discovered a note from Perry in a cookie jar, which he had written for her two decades earlier. “Matthew gave that to me at the end of our last episode,” Kudrow told Drew Barrymore. She explained that she had recently found the note but had not opened it until now.
Paget Brewster, another co-star who portrayed Perry’s on-screen love interest Kathy, recounted a memorable day with Perry. Best known for playing Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds, Brewster shared with The Independent about a time when Perry invited her to play basketball at his home. “I remember we had one day where Matthew and I were not going to be in scenes for about three hours. And so he said, ‘Hey, do you want to go? Do you want to go play basketball at my house? It’s just up Mulholland [Drive in Los Angeles].’ And I was like, ‘Sure, let’s — I’ll go play basketball at your house.'”
She fondly recalled Perry’s reaction during their game when her bra slipped while she was wearing his shorts. “We’re throwing hoops, and I was wearing a pair of his shorts and my bra. […] I threw a shot, and my bra slipped down, and Matthew — I’m laughing — and he looks at me, and he [puts his hand over his eyes] and goes, ‘You’re, you gotta, you might wanna take a look at that.'”
Brewster described him as a ‘gentleman and a sweetheart,’ highlighting his kindness and humor. “He’s definitely missed,” she lamented about the late actor.
When Perry passed, Brewster encouraged fans to read his book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. “I’m so very sad to hear about @MatthewPerry,” she expressed on Twitter. “He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. Please read his book. It was his legacy to help.”
She ended with a heartfelt sentiment: “He won’t rest in peace though. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.”
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