While honoring Matthew Perry during the 2024 Emmys In Memoriam segment, Charlie Puth took to the stage to perform an emotional cover of the Friends theme song.
As the In Memoriam segment showed the celebrities have passed in 2023, Puth played the theme song on the piano, not leaving a dry eye in the audience. Among those featured in the segment were Perry, Suzanne Somers, Kirstie Alley, Andre Braugher, and Barbara Walters.
@hollywoodreporter #charlieputh sings the #friends theme song while paying tribute to #matthewperry during the in memoriam segment at the #emmys ♬ original sound – The Hollywood Reporter
Matthew Perry unexpectedly passed away on Oct. 28, 2023. He was 53 years old at the time of his death. He was discovered in the hot tub of his Los Angeles-area home hours after he played pickleball. In Dec. 2023, the official cause of death was released. It was revealed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office that Perry died from “acute effects of ketamine.”
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office also reported that Matthew Perry had ketamine infusion therapy done. He was the method to treat his depression and anxiety. However, his last treatment was done a week-and-a-half before his death. The medical examiner also pointed out that the ketamine in his system could not be linked to the therapy because ketamine has a half-life of three or fours, maybe even less.
The examiner’s office further revealed that there was no evidence of alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, PCP, or fentanyl in Perry’s system at the time of his death. The contributing factors in Perry’s death included drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects.
Jennifer Aniston Wants Everyone to Continue to ‘Celebrate’ Matthew Perry’s Legacy Months After His Unexpected Death
While speaking to Entertainment Tonight’s Deidre Behar on the red carpet of the 2024 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 14, Jennifer Aniston encouraged Friends fans to continue to celebrate Matthew Perry’s life.
“Celebrate him,” Aniston declared about the best way to remember her late co-star.
The comment came just a few months after an insider told the DailyMail that Aniston and the rest of the Friends, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, want to publicly pay tribute to Matthew Perry. “Jen, Lisa, and the rest of the cast want to honor him publicly at some point and give him the tribute he so rightfully deserves – and there have been rumblings to do it at next year’s Emmys.”
Aniston also told Variety in Dec. 2023 that Matthew Perry had been so happy before he died. “I miss him dearly,” she declared. “We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”
She also called the countless tributes for Perry beautiful. “I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was,” she added.”