Jennifer Aniston said she texted Matthew Perry on the morning of his death and he was happy, healthy, and “not in pain”.
The actress, who played Rachel Green opposite Perry as sarcastic and witty Chandler Bing in US sitcom Friends, said that Perry was “getting in shape” before his death at the age of 54 on October 28.
“He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking,” Aniston told Variety when asked how Perry would want to be remembered.
Jennifer Aniston says she hopes Matthew Perry is remembered “as he said he’d love to be remembered”:
“He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know. I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was… pic.twitter.com/zv1IHc9C47
— Variety (@Variety) December 11, 2023
“He was happy — that’s all I know. I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.
“…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.”
Aniston said the messages of love from around the world after the news of his death broke were “so beautiful”.
“I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was,” the 54-year-old said.
“I also have to say I think Matthew Perry’s dialect, his way of speaking, created a whole different world. We went with his lead, in a way. It just added something to our joy.”
While Reese Witherspoon, who guest-starred on Friends as Aniston’s on-screen sister Jill Green, said the cast of Friends “were so close”.
The 47-year-old said: “It’s incredible what was born of those friendships, and how you guys have always taken care of each other for years and years.
“It’s really beautiful and set standards for our business, as well, with the way you respected each other. I feel lucky that I got to be on that show and I walked in like Alice in Wonderland, watching the most popular cast do this whole thing.
“I remember going home and going, oh, they’re in another league. They’re on another planet on comedy levels that I’ve never seen my entire life, pivoting on a dime and working on each other’s energy and it was extraordinary.”