Jennifer Aniston reveals she was texting with Matthew Perry the day he died in first interview since his shocking death
Jennifer Aniston said Matthew Perry was “happy” and “healthy” in the days ahead of his shocking death in late October.
“He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know,” a teary-eyed Aniston told Variety in an interview published Monday as her “The Morning Show” co-star Reese Witherspoon held her hand.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
The “Cake” actress, 54, stressed that her beloved “Friends” co-star hadn’t relapsed despite what some might believe in light of his years-long struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.
“I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy. He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard,” she shared.
“He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”
The “Murder Mystery” actress also credited Perry for giving his character, Chandler Bing, a specific manner of speaking that would go on to define the role.
“His way of speaking created a whole different world,” she told the trade publication. “We went with his lead, in a way. It just added something to our joy.”
Perry died on Oct. 28 in an apparent drowning in his hot tub. He was 54. His official cause of death has not been released as the coroner is still awaiting toxicology results.
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Days after his untimely passing, the “The Whole Nine Yards” star’s family and friends gathered for a private memorial at a Los Angeles cemetery. Sources told Page Six exclusively that Aniston had been “struggling” with the loss of her longtime pal and “kept to herself” at his funeral after arriving first.
“It’s a second massive loss in less than a year, with the one-year anniversary of her dad’s death just around the corner,” an insider shared with us.
“She still hasn’t fully regained her footing from that, and now this has just completely knocked her off her feet.”
The source added, “She is trying to regroup and recover but it’s been a completely devastating blow.”
Just over a week after Perry’s family laid him to rest, Aniston and her co-stars each paid tribute to their former co-star in individual posts.
“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,” Aniston shared in her heart-wrenching homage.
“His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard.”
