Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry.Photo:SGranitz/WireImage
SGranitz/WireImage
Jennifer Anistonwants fans to know the truth aboutMatthew Perry’s final days.
In a new interview withVariety, Aniston reflected on the loss of herFriendscostar and emphasized that he “wasn’t struggling” before hisuntimely death at age 54on Oct. 28.
When asked how she’d want the world to remember Perry, Aniston, 54, told the outlet: “Ashe 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,” she continued. “He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
Aniston’sMorning ShowcostarReese Witherspoonwas beside her for the interview and chimed in, “It’s important people know that.”
Aniston added, “It is. 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.”
Matthew Perry at the Playhouse Theater in February 2016.Dave Benett/Getty
Dave Benett/Getty
Addressing thecountless tributesthat poured in for Perry following his death, Aniston called the support from the Hollywood community “so beautiful.”
“I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was,” she said.
Witherspoon, 47, noted of theFriendscast: “You all were so close. 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,” she recalled. “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.”
In a final note, Aniston 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.”
The cast of ‘Friends’ (from left): Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Perry, whostruggled with addictionthroughout his life, was found dead at his Los Angeles home at the end of October. Law enforcement sources toldTMZthere were no drugs found and the scene, and no signs of foul play were present.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE thatan autopsy has been completedand results are pending a toxicology report. However, an online record has the status of the actor’s cause of death currently listed as “deferred” since it’s “pending additional investigation.”
When Anistonbroke her silence about the loss ofPerry on Nov. 15, she shared one of her final text messages from the actor and remembered how he made everyone “laugh hard.”
The Morning Showactress continued, “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. 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. His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard.”
She said that she had been looking back on their many text conversations, “Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever.”
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Two weeks later, Aniston spoke out on social media again andencouraged her followersto contribute to theMatthew Perry Foundationon Giving Tuesday.
“For #GivingTuesday please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation - which is working to help those suffering with addiction 🤍,” Aniston wrote in a post on her Instagram Story in honor of the global day of generosity. “He would have been grateful for the love 🥰”
source: people.com
