'Friends' star Lisa Kudrow breaks silence on co-star Matthew Perry's death

Matthew Perry’s Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay alongside Perry’s Chandler Bing, is reportedly “baffled” by his death. 

The actress has said “the gang” are struggling to believe he is gone, and spoke of adopting his dog and attending the funeral along with the rest of his castmates. 

A source close to Kudrow told the Daily Mail, “This does not seem real or fair to her or any of the gang, because Matthew was finally at peace with himself and was having the best year of his life since his book launch almost exactly one year ago. He was enjoying life. 

“He was closer than ever to his folks and actively engaged in his sobriety. She is baffled on what caused his death.” 

Kudrow’s co-stars Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox are yet to comment. 

The iconic show’s co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane shared a statement on social media earlier today, writing on X of Perry, “We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. 

“He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment - not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart. We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.” 

Paget Brewster, who had a six-episode arc on the show, wrote online, “I’m so very sad to hear about @MatthewPerry. He was lovely to me on Friends and every time I saw him in the decades after. 

“Please read his book. It was his legacy to help. He won’t rest in peace though.. He’s already too busy making everyone laugh up there.” 

Matthew’s family break their silence 

Matthew Perry’s family has broken their silence on the actor’s death – to thank him for bringing “so much joy to the world”.  

The troubled ‘Friends’ actor’s blended family included his mum, dad, two step-parents, five step-siblings, and just over a day after he was found dead aged 54 in an apparent drowning in the hot tub in the backyard of his mansion in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, they have released a statement telling of their devastation over his shock passing.  

Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing on Friends. Photo / Getty

They told People: “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother.  

“Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend.”  

They also thanked his legions of fans, adding: “You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”

Cause of death revealed 

Matthew is believed to have accidentally drowned hours after a game of pickleball, and in a redacted 16-second recording of a 911 dispatch call obtained by TMZ a man can be heard saying “rescue 23” and “drowning”. 

The actor had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball – similar to tennis but on a smaller court with a lower net – before he went home and relaxed in his hot tub. 

Perry was reportedly found in a spa pool at the residence, with sources adding that there were no illegal drugs found at the scene. It has also been revealed that no foul play was involved. 

However, the star’s home was reportedly packed with a huge range of prescription medications – from anti-depressants and anxiety pills to heart disease drugs. 

An autopsy is pending and the coroner is reportedly prepared to do a toxicology examination, but the results could take several months. 

Eerie final Instagram post 

Matthew Perry’s last post on Instagram was a picture of himself lounging in the corner of a spa pool. 

Five days before his death, Matthew posted the image of himself relaxing at night in the hot tub where he died, alongside the caption: “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman.” 

In another eerie social media post, Perry shared a message about mental health just four days before his death. 

The actor returned to X, formerly known as Twitter, after nearly a year away from the platform, writing: “Let’s make stigmas a stigma” and adding the #mentalhealth hashtag. 

Matthew spent 10 seasons playing Chandler Bing on Friends while struggling with a string of addictions. 

His memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing exposed his struggles with addictions that got so severe that in 2018 at the age of 49 he suffered a gastrointestinal perforation as a result of his extreme opiate usage. 

He was given just a 2 per cent chance of living after being comatose for two weeks and the actor had to use a colostomy bag while his colon healed. 

He said at the peak of his addictions he was consuming about 55 Vicodin pills a day and weighed just 128 pounds. 

- Additional reporting by Bang! Showbiz, NZ Herald