Lauren Graham was the late actor’s “favorite person.”
After Friends alum Matthew Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home back in October, friends, family, and friends have been struggling to cope in a world without him.
Hundreds of people whose lives were positively impacted by the beloved actor have been using social media as a platform to express their love and support. In fact, the entire cast of Friends have been very open about how much Perry meant to them by sharing emotional tributes.
By now, everyone is well aware that Perry went through a period of drug addiction and fought hard to accomplish sobriety. Before he died, Perry was very involved with sports like pickleball because it distracted him from making bad choices. Additional sources claimed that Perry supported other individuals struggling with drug addiction and encouraged them to engage in the sport as a means of escape.
A full toxicology report has not been released, but the lack of details have left some friends and close loved ones worried that Perry might have relapsed at some point.
Longtime Friends
However, on Thursday, Lauren Graham, 56, told CBS Mornings that she is confident her longtime friend was in a good state of mind before he passed away.
The Gilmore Girls actress looked back on her friendship with Perry and highlighted the pride he took in his writing.
“This last year, he was so proud of the book he wrote, and of how many people it touched. It was a success that gave him a level of happiness that I hadn’t seen in him for a really long time, so that’s a nice memory.”
Graham then shared her feelings about Perry’s unexpected death back on October 28th. He was 54 years old.
“I am still in shock. I mean, it’s a really tragic loss, and he leaves his beautiful work behind. That’s something to be thankful for, and again, the book really meant something to him, so it was a really happy year for him.”
Graham went on to share just how strong the bond was between her and Perry.
“No one made me laugh as hard. Just tears, streaming. There was just such joy in being around him and being his friend.”
Graham and Perry crossed paths long before collaborating on the 2008 film Birds of America and maintained a strong friendship years after the project. In Perry’s 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, a photo of them together was captioned: “Me and the beautiful Lauren Graham,” by Perry himself.
During a fan Q&A for his show The Odd Couple, Perry praised Graham, calling her “one of my favorite people.”
“We have great chemistry when working together and it’s fun to work with a close friend,” the late actor said.
The Parenthood alum also went into detail about her close connection to Perry in her own memoir Talking As Fast As I Can. In the book, Graham admits that there were times where Perry and Graham were more than friends.
“The only bright spot, dude-wise, was at an event where I met Matthew Perry,” Graham wrote as she referenced a time in her life when she was single. “He became my longtime Friend Who I Almost But Never Exactly Dated, or FWIABNED.”
Perry’s book talks about his lifelong struggle with drugs and the steps he took to get better.
In honor of his life’s mission to help others, The Matthew Perry Foundation continues his commitment to providing support and advocacy for those dealing with addiction.
In another recent story, a permanent Central Perk Coffee Shop was also opened in Perry’s honor. The fictional café that Friends characters Monica, Chandler, and all the other iconic characters visited constantly on the show.
Without a doubt, Matthew Perry will be missed, but never forgotten.