Lisa Kudrow ‘Had No Idea How Many Times’ Matthew Perry ‘Almost Didn’t Make It’
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After appearing on Friends for more than 200 episodes together, Lisa Kudrow has thoughts about Matthew Perry’s death.
Starting off as a child actor, Matthew Perry landed his first sitcom role on the show Second Chance (which later became Boys Will Be Boys) and went on to secure roles in series like Charles in Charge and Beverly Hills 90210. By 1988, he had already made his big screen debut in the film A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, where he starred alongside the late River Phoenix.
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It was the role of Chandler Bing in the legendary sitcom Friends that really catapulted Perry to superstardom. Premiering on NBC in 1994, the show about six single New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Perry, who was only 25 years old when the series began, became a household name overnight alongside his fellow cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. Lisa Kudrow played the eccentric Phoebe Buffay on the show, a masseuse and musician who would hang out with the gang at Central Perk.
Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023, in his home in Los Angeles, California. So how did Lisa Kudrow react to Matthew Perry’s death? Read more to find out.
Lisa Kudrow’s Reaction To Matthew Perry’s Death
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How did Lisa Kudrow react To Matthew Perry’s death? According to DailyMail, sources close to Lisa Kudrow said that she thought that his death at just 54 did not seem real to “any of the gang.”
The source went further on to say, “Although no one wants to believe it was medication – prescribed or not – of course that is a thought in their minds.” They continued, “They are thinking he must have taken something that did not mix with the warm water.”
Director James Burrows revealed that he texted the girls of Friends about their good friend’s death. “I had texted the girls the day we found out,” shared on the Today show on Thursday, November 2. “They were destroyed. It’s a brother dying.”
In Perry’s 2002 memoir, released almost a year to the day before his untimely death, Kudrow wrote the foreword. “Over the many years since I was first asked, it’s been, at different times, the most asked question for me. I understand why so many people asked it: they love Matthew and they want him to be OK,” she wrote. “Me too.” She added that she “always bristled at that question from the press,” because she felt it wasn’t her place to share his story, explaining, “I couldn’t say what I wanted to say: ‘It’s his story to tell and I’m not authorized to tell it really, am I?!’”
Kudrow continued: “Over those years I didn’t really try to intervene or confront him, because the little I knew about addiction was that his sobriety was out of my hands,” she shared. “And yet, I would have periods of wondering if I was wrong for not doing more, doing something. But I did come to understand that this disease relentlessly fed itself and was determined to keep going.”
She concluded: “He has survived impossible odds, but I had no idea how many times he almost didn’t make it. … I’m glad you’re here, Matty. Good for you. I love you.”
While initial reports said that Kudrow was adopting Perry’s dog, those were dispelled because Perry didn’t have a dog at the time of his death. Perry previously had an -oodle named Alfred that he shared with ex, Molly Hurwitz. Since their split, Alfred has appeared on Molly’s social media account several times.
How did the Friends cast react to Matthew Perry’s death?
The Friends cast has yet to make any official statements on Matthew Perry’s death. The official Friends and Warner Brothers TV Instagram account “We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans.”
In a statement to NBC News, Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane as well as executive producer Kevin Bright shared their reaction to Perry’s death. “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,” the statement read. “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.”
Maggie Wheeler who played Chandler Bing’s ex-girlfriend Janice on the show posted on Instagram, “What a loss.The world will miss you Matthew Perry . The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared. ♥️”
Kathleen Turner played Chandler’s father on the show and gave a statement to NBC News: “I was proud to play his ‘Dad.’” Morgan Fairchild who played Chandler’s mother on the show wrote on X (formerly Twitter), I’m heartbroken about the untimely death of my “son”, Matthew Perry. The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his friends & family, especially his dad, John Bennett Perry, who I worked with on Flamingo Road & Falcon Crest. #RIPMatthew“
Paget Brewster played Kathy on Season 4 of Friends and posted on X (formerly Twitter), “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.”
How did Matthew Perry die?
TMZ first reported of Matthew Perry’s death. Initial reports into how Matthew Perry died claimed that there were no drugs found at the scene and no foul play was involved, however, an investigation into his cause of death is ongoing. After Perry’s death first made headlines, more information continued to emerge about his passing, with TMZ following up their story with details about the actor’s final hours.
The outlet reported that Perry spent his morning playing pickleball and arrived home after a two-hour session on the court. When he got home, he reportedly sent his assistant out on an errand. When his assistant returned about two hours later, he found Perry unresponsive and called 911. A rep for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the call without identifying Perry, telling Entertainment Tonight, “West L.A. officers responded to [a residence] at 4:10 p.m. for a Death Investigation of a male in his 50s.”
While Perry’s cause of death remains unconfirmed, many fans of the Friends star can’t help but wonder if his sudden passing had anything to do with his past health struggles—including his battles with addiction to alcohol and Vicodin.
Perry’s battle with drug addiction started after he had a skiing accident on the set of the film When Fools Rush In in 1997. The doctor prescribed Vicodin for his pain, but as a highly addictive substance, Perry’s use escalated to taking up to 55 pills a day. Along with his opioid addiction, he suffered from alcoholism. In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he explained how to tell which substance he was using based on his appearance on Friends: “When I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I’m skinny, it’s pills. When I have a goatee, it’s lots of pills.”
Five years before his passing, Perry was also open about the fact that he already had his fair share of brushes with death. He revealed in his memoir that he almost died after suffering a gastrointestinal perforation when his colon burst from opioid overuse. “The doctors told my family that I had a two percent chance to live,” he told People in 2022. “I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”
“There were five people put on an ECMO machine that night and the other four died and I survived,” he added. “So the big question is why? Why was I the one? There has to be some kind of reason.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Perry had another near death experience while staying at a rehab center in Switzerland when he had to get surgery. During his procedure, he was given a shot of propofol. After 11 hours, he woke up in a different hospital and was told that the propofol had stopped his heart for five minutes. The long CPR process broke eight of his ribs.
While Perry often didn’t disclose how long he stayed sober, the actor was always open about his relapses. He had been to rehab 15 times, attended 6,000 AA meetings, been in detox 65 times, and spent between $7 to $9 million trying to get sober.
“It’s important, but if you lose your sobriety, it doesn’t mean you lose all that time and education,” he said. “Your sober date changes, but that’s all that changes. You know everything you knew before, as long as you were able to fight your way back without dying, you learn a lot.”
In his interview with People in 2022, Perry revealed that he wrote his memoir for anyone else struggling with addiction. “I say in the book that if I did die it would shock people, but it wouldn’t surprise anybody. And that’s what I’m doing with writing this book. That’s why I wanted to do it,” he said at the time. “I wanted to talk about the highs and the lows because people are suffering out there and maybe if they hear a story from somebody they’ve seen on TV that’s worse than their’s or just the same of their’s, they’ll be filed with hope, which is the key thing.”
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’ by Matthew Perry
For more about Matthew Perry, read his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The New York Times bestseller takes readers through Perry’s life and career, from his childhood dreams of becoming an actor to how he was cast in Friends to his struggle with addiction and his stints in rehab. “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead,” Perry writes in the book. Told in his own words for the first time ever, the memoir is an “unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny” account of Perry’s trials and triumphs. Described as an “unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening,” Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is a must-read for Friends fans.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, help is available. Call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential support.
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