A devastating clip of Jennifer Aniston breaking down in tears as she discussed the ‘idea of losing’ Matthew Perry to his addictions has resurfaced – two days after the actor was found dead.
The actor, who rose to fame as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in the seminal 90s sitcom, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday from an apparent drowning in his hot tub – however, the coroner has yet to release an official cause of death.
Tributes from celebrities and fans across the globe – who have spent the last few days mourning Matthew, 54, and placing flowers and notes outside of his home – have poured in for the beloved star, who had been battling addiction for years.
Now, a 2004 video of Jennifer, now 54, sobbing as she opened up about Matthew’s ‘rough road’ – which he admitted left him questioning how long he would be alive – has been re-circulating the web as people continue to grieve the loss of the Friends icon.
A clip of Jennifer breaking down in tears as she discussed the ‘idea of losing’ her co-star and friend, Matthew, due to addiction has resurfaced – two days after the actor was found dead
The actor (pictured in 2022), who rose to fame as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in the seminal 90s sitcom, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday from an apparent drowning in his hot tub
Now, a 2004 video of Jennifer sobbing about Matthew’s ‘rough road’ that saw him questioning how long he would be alive has been re-circulating the web (shown in 1985)
In 2004, the year Friends ended, Jennifer, 54, gave Diane Sawyer an interview in which she broke down in tears discussing Matthew’s struggles with drinking and his drug use.
Diane asked the actress what each of her co-stars needed to hear, and while Jennifer provided joyful advice to her pals, when it came to Matthew, she struggled to find the words.
She noted that the actor needed to know that he would be ‘alright’ before bowing her head down and crying.
In between sobs, Jennifer said: ‘We didn’t know. We, you know, we weren’t equipped, we weren’t – to deal with it. You know, nobody had ever dealt with that and, you know, the idea of even losing him.’
The actress dabbed her eyes with a tissue and continued: ‘He’s having a rough road, but he is alright.’
Jennifer previously gave her pal and co-star a four-word warning on the set of Friends.
Matthew revealed that Jennifer first confronted him about his addiction during filming.
‘We know you’re drinking,’ she told him at the time in the four-word warning, during a break in the shooting of Friends back when it was massively popular with fans.
In 2004, the year Friends ended, Jennifer, 54, gave Diane Sawyer an interview in which she broke down in tears discussing Matthew’s struggles with drinking and his drug use
She noted that the actor needed to know that he would be ‘alright’ before bowing her head and crying
Jennifer previously gave her pal and co-star a four-word warning on the set of Friends and told Matthew that the cast ‘knew’ he was drinking
The actor was found dead at his house in Los Angeles (pictured) on Saturday after emergency crews were called at around 4pm local time
‘Yeah, imagine how scary a moment that was,’ the actor said of his co-star during the conversation with ABC’s Diane Sawyer.
‘I should have been the toast of the town, but I was in a dark room meeting with nothing but drug dealers and completely alone,’ he added, in a reference to his addiction.
The actor was found dead at his house in Los Angeles on Saturday after emergency crews were called at around 4pm local time.
He had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball – a sport similar to tennis but played on a smaller court – earlier in the day, before sending his assistant out on an errand. When they returned, Matthew was said to be found unresponsive in his hot tub.
The actor, who never married but dated a number of stars including Julia Roberts, has been candid and public about his problems with drugs and alcohol, having first gone to rehab in 1997 for a pain medication addiction after a jet skiing accident.
Following his initial stint in 2001, the actor relapsed around ’60 to 70′ times throughout the years before going back to rehab again in 2011.
In 2016, he shockingly revealed he didn’t recall filming three seasons of Friends due to his addiction.
Despite hiding his demons from the public view for years, Matthew lifted the lid on the struggles he faced in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing.
He had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball – a sport similar to tennis but played on a smaller court – earlier in the day, before sending his assistant out on an errand (shown in 2001)
Despite hiding his demons from the public view for years, Matthew lifted the lid on the struggles he faced in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing
Following his initial stint in 2001, the actor relapsed around ’60 to 70′ times throughout the years before going back to rehab again in 2011 (shown in 1998)
In the opening, he wrote: ‘Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.’
He added: ‘People would be surprised to know that I have mostly been sober since 2001. Save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.’
A longtime friend of the actor’s – who was in recovery with him – told .com last night: ‘Everyone is in a total state of shock. People are crying on the phone and struggling to accept this news.
‘It’s no secret that he struggled with drugs and alcohol for years but the last time I spoke to him, which was within the last few weeks, he seemed to be in a good place.
‘He was upbeat and sounded sober and positive. He’d been to rehab 17 times and nearly died from opioid abuse but he was someone who was sincere about taking his life, and his sobriety, one day at a time.
‘It’s such tragic news. Everyone is praying he didn’t relapse. Matt was a genuinely lovely guy. He was always the first to welcome newcomers to the group and would always volunteer to help and be of service.
‘We are all struggling to come to terms with this terrible news.’
Meanwhile, Lisa Kudrow believes her Friends co-star may have died due to his medications taking effect while in his hot tub, a source claimed.
Following his initial stint in 2001, the actor relapsed around ’60 to 70′ times throughout the years before going back to rehab again in 2011 (shown in 2015)
Lisa Kudrow believes her Friends co-star may have died due to his medications taking effect while in his hot tub, a source claimed
The actor was praised for his performance as Chandler, as many people gushed about how he was the perfect fit for the role
‘Although no one wants to believe it was medication – prescribed or not – of course that is a thought in their minds. They are thinking he must have taken something that did not mix with the warm water,’ a source close to Kudrow and her castmates told .com.
Warner Bros, which produced Friends, said in a statement: ‘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.’
NBC, which aired the series for nearly a decade, added: ‘We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry.
‘He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations,’ it said.
The actor was praised for his performance as Chandler, as many people gushed about how he was a perfect fit for the role.
Matthew said in his memoir: ‘It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life. One character in particular stood out to me: it wasn’t that I thought I could “play” Chandler. I ‘”was” Chandler.’
When he was 24 years old, which is when he was first cast in Friends, his alcohol addiction began to surface
And, by the end of the 10th series of the iconic show, he became ‘entrenched in a lot of trouble’, he revealed years later (the cast shown in 2002)
In his memoir, Matthew (shown in 1987) detailed how he would like to be remembered after his death as someone who ‘helped’ others
And while fans were seeing Matthew’s comedic performance unfold on screen, behind the cameras, the actor was fighting a bitter battle.
When he was 24 years old, which is when he was first cast in Friends, his alcohol addiction began to surface. And, by the end of the 10th series of the iconic show, he became ‘entrenched in a lot of trouble’, he revealed years later.
He noted that his addiction caused him to be a ‘little out of it at the time’ – adding that he doesn’t recall filming three seasons of the show.
At one point during his time on Friends, Matthew said he was taking 55 Vicodin painkillers a day and was down to just 128 lbs.
In his memoir, Matthew detailed how he would like to be remembered after his death.
He said: ‘When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends.
‘And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web.
‘But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people.
‘I know it won’t happen but it would be nice.’