Jennifer Aniston and ‘Friends’ cast react to death of Matthew Perry: 'There is so much to say'

The cast of "Friends" is mourning the death of one of their core six.

Matthew Perry was found dead after an apparent drowning at this home Oct. 28. The actor was 54.

The surviving five cast members issued a statement on Oct. 30 that said they are "devastated" by Perry's death.

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

“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.”

The message was signed by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.

In the weeks that followed, the surviving "Friends" cast posted individual tributes to the late star on Instagram.

Jennifer Aniston

On Nov. 15, Aniston shared a black-and-white photo of herself and Perry at a table read, writing that Perry's death "cut deep."

"...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."

She added that Perry "KNEW he loved to make people laugh" and cited a story about the late star many fans are familiar with: "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."

She also shared a screenshot of a text Perry sent her of the same photo she used in the post. He'd told her that "making you laugh just made my day. It made my day."

She had replied, "Aww the first of thousands of times."

Aniston concluded her post by writing that she loved Perry and knows he's "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…"

Courteney Cox

In a post on Nov. 14, Cox broke her social media silence by sharing a video of the moment it was revealed on the show that her character, Monica, and Perry's character, Chandler, were romantically involved.

She wrote that she misses Perry "every day" and is thankful for the time they had together.

"When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share," she wrote. "For now here’s one of my favorites."

She explained that their characters were "supposed to have a one night fling in London" but because they audience loved them together so much, "it became the beginning of their love story."

"In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say," she wrote. "He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind."

Lisa Kudrow

Kudrow reminisced in a Nov. 15 post about how they bonded so quickly.

"You suggested we play poker AND made it so much fun while we initially bonded," she wrote. "Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY."

She went on to thank Perry for having an "open heart in a six way relationship that required compromise."

"Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant," she continued. "Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have."

She added that she learned everything she knows about grace and love from the late actor.

"Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew," she concluded."

Matt LeBlanc

Alongside a carousel of photos of the two of them in the show as Joey and Chandler, LeBlanc wrote his "goodbye."

"The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life," he said. "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."

He concluded that Perry is "finally free" and sent him his love.

"And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me," he joked, seemingly joking about how his character Joey often owed Perry's Chandler money in the show.

David Schwimmer

In a post on Nov. 15, Schwimmer shared a photo of him and Perry in costume as the younger versions of their characters, Ross and Chandler.

Both are wearing a 1980s-style suit and loads of hair gel for the photo.

"Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity," Schwimmer wrote. "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."

He also celebrated Perry's "generous" heart and said it was the late actor who brought them together as a "family out of six strangers."

"This photo is from one of my favorite moments with you. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time," he wrote.

Schwimmer concluded that he's imagining Perry "up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around— 'Could there BE any more clouds?'"

About Chandler Bing on 'Friends'

Perry is best known for playing Chandler Bing across all 10 seasons of the beloved sitcom "Friends." Chandler's character was wry, sarcastic and the butt of the recurring joke that no one knew what his job was.

His storylines included his fear of commitment, a troubled relationship with parents and eventually, a romance with Monica Geller, played by Cox, leading to marriage and children.

Was the cast of 'Friends' friends in real life?

The friendship between the six titular friends at the heart of the show translated off the screen and into real life.

Amid Perry's decades-long battle with addiction, he previously said that while rewatching "Friends" was difficult due to what was occurring in his personal life, he credited the show's cast with "saving" him.

He specifically said Aniston was the cast member who checked in on him the most. In an interview with Diane Sawyer last year ahead of the release of his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," he said, "She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that."

The "Friends" cast notably all reunited for a 2021 reunion special.

One of Cox's final lines from the special was shared on social media, ringing hauntingly true in the wake of Perry's death.

"This will be the last time that we're ever asked about the show as a group," she said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com