Mourners stand outside the home of actor Matthew Perry on Sunday, Oct. 29, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died. He was 54. Eugene Garcia/Associated Press file
Matthew Perry’s funeral took place in Los Angeles and was attended by his “Friends” family Friday, just under a week after his sudden death.
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc were present to lay the five-time Emmy nominee, 54, to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, not far from where the show filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, Entertainment Tonight reports.
The five former co-stars, who have remained close off-screen, released a joint statement earlier this week to say they “were all so utterly devastated” by Perry’s death.
Matthew Perry poses for a portrait on Feb. 17, 2015, in New York. Brian Ach/Invision via Associated Press file
“We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” they said. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Also on Friday, the Matthew Perry Foundation was launched to help those struggling with addiction, as the beloved actor had.
Perry was alone when paramedics found him dead in his hot tub last Saturday after he’d played pickleball and sent his assistant on errands.
Those close to Perry have made clear he was sober and in a great place mentally in the days and weeks preceding his sudden passing.
Last year, while promoting his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry said he didn’t want his “Friends” role as Chandler Bing to dominate his legacy.
“I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned,” he told Q with Tom Power last November. “And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”
Authorities did not find any narcotics at Perry’s residence, but they did find prescription anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, as well as medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which affects breathing.
Preliminary tests show that neither fentanyl nor methamphetamine were found in Perry’s system. His official cause of death is pending a full toxicology report, which is expected to take between six weeks and six months.
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