Jennifer Aniston paid tribute to her late Friends co-star Matthew Perry on the first anniversary of his death this week.
The actress shared a series of heartfelt photos on Instagram, including a black-and-white snapshot of the pair from the early days of Friends and an on-set image of Perry kissing her forehead.
Aniston captioned the post with “1 year” alongside heart and dove emojis, tagging the Matthew Perry Foundation.
The foundation, established after Perry’s passing, aims to help those struggling with addiction.
Aniston’s post also featured a group photo of the entire Friends cast in a warm embrace and a solo shot of Perry smiling.
The tribute comes exactly one year after Perry was found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023.
Friends: Matthew Perry (bottom middle) and Jennifer Aniston (bottom right) formed a lifelong bond on the set of Friends
PA
Inevitably, fans rushed to the comments of the post to share their condolences and reflect on the loss of Perry.
“Argh the one celebrity death that shattered me,” one Instagram user replied. “I can barely look at this post without breaking down. Friends is my go to for so many stages in my life, this loss is felt deeply.”
A second was similarly touched: “Reading his book right now. I never realized how sad this hilarious, charming, magnetic guy was. RIP Matthew Perry. You will always be my favorite friend.”
And a third echoed: “I watch Friends all the time just to feel like he’s still around… still missing this legend so much!” (sic)
Perry died at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023. He was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The Los Angeles County medical examiners determined that Perry’s death was due to the acute effects of ketamine.
Recent developments have seen five people charged in connection with Perry’s death. Among those charged are Perry’s personal assistant, two doctors, and two drug dealers.
Three of the accused have agreed to plead guilty. US Attorney Martin Estrada revealed that Perry had paid £55,000 in cash to two doctors for ketamine in the two months preceding his death.
Text messages also uncovered that one of the doctors would purchase ketamine from another accused doctor.
Throughout his life, Perry struggled with severe drug and alcohol addictions. He was open about his journey, detailing his battles in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing”.
Perry became an advocate for rehabilitation and a spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. In 2013, he received the Champion of Recovery Award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Perry had expressed a desire to be remembered for his work in helping others with addiction issues. Following his death, the National Philanthropic Trust established the Matthew Perry Foundation to support those suffering from addiction.
Perry had been receiving ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions to treat anxiety at the time of his death. However, the medical examiner’s report stated that this therapy couldn’t have resulted in his death due to ketamine’s short half-life.
In a previous tribute following Perry’s death, Aniston described him as “such a part of our DNA”. She shared that losing Perry had been “an insane wave of emotions”.
The entire Friends cast, including Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, remembered Perry in their own ways. Cox also shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, writing that she misses Perry “today and always”.
