NEWSMatt LeBlanc Shares Heartbreaking Tribute After 'Brother' Matthew Perry's Death: 'I Will Never Forget You'
Matt LeBlanc has released his own statement a few weeks after his beloved Friends costar Matthew Perry passed away at age 54.
On Tuesday, November 14, the actor mourned the loss on Instagram and shared some images from their time together on the hit comedy series.
Matthew Perry passed away at age 54 on October 28.
"Matthew ... It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life," the actor, 56, gushed. "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."
"Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love," he concluded before adding in a joke. "And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me."
LeBlanc shared a behind-the-scenes photo from their 'Friends' days.
The final image in the set was a behind-the-scenes shot from the series finale that showed LeBlanc, Perry and their other costars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer — sharing a group hug.
LeBlanc first commented on the tragedy via a joint message with the cast two days after the 17 Again star was found dead in his hot tub.
'Friends' ran from 1994 to 2004.
"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss," they group shared. "In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
On November 3, the TV icons reunited to attend his funeral.
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While it's believed Perry drowned in his hot tub, his official cause of death has been deferred while officials await the results of a toxicology report.
The actor struggled with addiction for decades, but Athenna Crosby, the friend he had lunch with one day before his death, believes he was "100 percent sober when he passed."
Perry's official cause of death was deferred.
“I mean, I can’t know what exactly he was thinking or feeling," she explained in an interview. "I can only share my experience. And, of course, he was his own person that maybe he had said, done or thought of things the day that he passed that I might never come to know."
"In the interaction that I had with him, he was extremely positive, sober, acting normal, spoke very well, did not give me any impression that he was under drugs or alcohol of any kind," Crosby added.
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Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane echoed that opinion.
"He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair," Kauffman said during an interview with Today. "He was emotionally in a good place, he looked good, he quit smoking … he was sober."
