Friends Creators Recount Recent Talks With Matthew Perry: ‘He Was Happy and Chipper’ — Watch Today Interview
Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman’s last conversation with the late Matthew Perry took place just two weeks before his death. She said the actor — who played the beloved Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on the hit NBC sitcom — was “happy and chipper” during their talk.
“It was great,” Kauffman said during Wednesday’s joint Today interview with Friends co-creator David Crane (watch the full clip embedded above). “He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”
When she first heard of Perry’s passing, Kauffman said she was in “utter shock.”
“My first instinct was to text him, honestly,” she said. “And then deep sadness. So much sadness. It’s hard to grasp. One minute he’s here and happy and then poof. And doing good in the world. Really doing good in the world.
“He seemed better than I had seen in a while,” she continued. “I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking. Yes, he was sober. He learned things throughout this and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts, and it gave him purpose.”
Perry died Saturday after his assistant found the actor unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. Initial speculation that he had drowned has not been confirmed, although TMZ reports that there were no drugs found at the scene and foul play is not suspected. An official cause of death remains TBD.
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Co-anchor Hoda Kotb then asked Crane to comment on Perry’s past quote that people would be “shocked about his passing, but not surprised.”
“Given the journey he’d been on, and we were all aware of it, there was always a part that was kind of bracing for something like this,” he said. “It is still hard to believe because he was such an alive person, that it’s hard to believe he’s not here.”
Kauffman closed the interview by stating, “I lost a friend in multiple ways, and what’s amazing is the outpouring from the fans who lost a friend of theirs, too. And I hope wherever he is, he feels it.”
On Monday, Perry‘s five Friends cast mates — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — addressed the loss of their beloved co-star in the form of a joint statement to People.com.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the quintet’s statement began. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the statement continued. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
