Jennifer Aniston says she was texting with Matthew Perry on the day that he died, describing him as “happy” and “healthy” in his final days.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty,” she told Variety magazine in an interview alongside The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon. “He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
Perry, 54, was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28. An official cause of death has not yet been determined and there is a pending toxicology report.
It’s been reported that no drugs or illegal substances were found on the property when he died, and there’s been nothing to suggest his death was drug-related, despite his struggles with substance abuse in the past.
“He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know,” Aniston added.
“I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy. He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”
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Perry and Aniston starred in all 236 episodes of Friends, during the show’s 10-season run.
Days after his death, the cast of Friends released a joint statement, expressing their despair over the “unfathomable” loss.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” the statement, signed by Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, said. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”
Each of the core Friends cast also posted their own tributes to social media, honouring Perry in the days following,
“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,” Aniston began her Instagram caption.
“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.”
The Morning Show star, 54, called Perry her “chosen family” who “forever changed the course” of her life.
“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,” she shared.
Before his death, Perry was open about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer last fall, speaking about his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry shared how Aniston was supportive and helpful.
“She was the one who reached out the most. I’m really grateful to her for that,” he said.
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