How Jennifer Aniston always had Matthew Perry's back
Jennifer Aniston is reportedly grappling with the recent passing of her F.R.I.E.N.D.S co-star Matthew Perry, who died on October 28, aged 54. Aniston, along with the other surviving cast members, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc mourned Perry at his funeral last Friday. According to Page Six, both Aniston and Cox are particularly impacted by the loss, with Aniston bearing the brunt of the emotional turmoil.
Perry was laid to rest in a private funeral
Aniston, along with remaining cast members attended Perry's funeral at Forest Lawn cemetery in LA, which is near the Warner Bros. Studios lot, where the iconic show F.R.I.E.N.D.S was filmed. Perry was found unresponsive after tragically drowning in the jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home. First responders declared him dead at the scene.
'It's a second massive loss in less than a year...'
Adding to Aniston's sorrow is the approaching first anniversary of her father's death, John Aniston, who passed away in November 2022. The above-mentioned publication cited a source as saying, "It's a second massive loss in less than a year. She still hasn't fully regained her footing from that, and now this has just completely knocked her off her feet." Aniston had referred to her father as "one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew" when announcing his passing.
When Perry revealed Aniston reached out the most
Perry had been candid about his addiction struggles and commended Aniston for her support. In a 2022 interview with Diane Sawyer, Perry said, "[Aniston] was the one that reached out the most. You know, I'm really grateful to her for that." He also shared that it was Aniston who initially confronted him on the F.R.I.E.N.D.S set when his addiction became apparent to his co-stars.
When Perry admitted to having a crush on Aniston
Perry had also admitted to having a crush on Aniston after meeting her through mutual friends three years before they began working on their sitcom. In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he mentioned, "I was immediately taken by her (how could I not be?) and liked her." However, Aniston kindly turned him down when he asked her out. Despite the initial attraction, the two developed a strong bond.
When Aniston 'cried' talking about Perry's struggle with addiction
Aniston once expressed how much Perry meant to her and described the fear of losing him due to his battle with addiction. In a 2004 interview, she tearfully stated, "He struggled. We didn't know. We weren't equipped to deal with it. Nobody had ever dealt with that. And the idea of even losing him...he's having a road. But he's alright."
Perry's long-standing battle with drug addiction
His long-standing battle with substance use was no secret. In his memoir, he disclosed the substantial cost he incurred on his path to sobriety, amounting to a staggering $7M (he previously estimated it to be $9M in a different interview). Perry also revealed that he had entered rehabilitation on 15 separate occasions.
