Jennifer Aniston Says Matthew Perry Was Happy in His Final Days

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Jennifer Aniston wants the world to know that her Friends costar and real-life friend Matthew Perry was in a good place before his tragic death at the end of October.

Perry, who passed away at the age of 54 after an apparent accidental drowning (an official cause of death is yet to be determined), “was not in pain,” according to Aniston, who opened up about the loss in an interview for the first time. Talking to Variety, she said, “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…. He wasn’t struggling.” In a bittersweet twist after decades of ups and downs, says Aniston, “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.”

As for the outpouring of tributes in the wake of his sudden absence, Aniston said, “It’s so beautiful. I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.” She also reflected on his unique cadence (could it BE any more memorable?), which added so much comedy to the iconic series: “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.”

Aniston had previously opened up about her close relationship to Perry on Instagram, writing, “We loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. 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.”

Originally Appeared on Glamour