Actress Ione Sky has shared the heartbreaking final text messages she received from Matthew Perry just two weeks before he died.
Perry, 54, was tragically found dead on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles from an apparent drowning in his hot tub.
In a posting to Instagram post, Skye reminisced about her work alongside the late River Phoenix in the 1988 film A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, which marked Perry’s debut in the world of cinema.
The 54-year-old Say Anything star uploaded an old photo of herself and Perry, together with their text exchange, while also expressing her deep sadness over his passing with the caption, ‘I’m very, very sad. Loved this guy.’
In their final series of text messages, Perry sent a heartfelt message to Skye on October 15, stating, ‘Hi! I hope all is well. I was meditating (I meditate now) and ‘In Your Eyes’ started playing. And I instantly thought of how beautiful you are,’ alluding to Skye’s famous scene in Say Anything….
Ione Skye has shared the final text messages she had with Matthew Perry, who tragically passed away in an apparent drowning at his home on Saturday. The pair are pictured in the early 90s together – a photo she posted to Instagram
In her Instagram post, Skye expressed her deep sadness and affection for Perry stating, ‘I’m very, very sad. Loved this guy.’
Skye shared messages between the two of them from just a couple of weeks ago
In their final series of text messages, Perry sent a heartfelt message to Skye on October 15
Skye responded warmly, expressing her pleasure at hearing from Perry and noting that she only had fond memories of their time together.
‘Good to hear from you. I only have nice memories with you,’ she wrote.
‘Me too. That one afternoon, I was just sitting in my apartment and there you were!’
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, directed by William Richert, is a coming-of-age drama adapted from Richert’s 1966 novel, Aren’t You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye?
In the film, River Phoenix portrayed the main character, Jimmy Reardon, a middle-class young man grappling with life choices after high school.
Perry played his privileged best friend, Fred Roberts, while Skye took on the role of his girlfriend, Denise Hunter.
Phoenix passed away from a drug overdose in 1993, a year before Perry gained widespread recognition for his role in Friends.
Skye, meanwhile, continued to pursue her acting career, explored painting, and later authored several children’s books.
Ione Skye is probably most renowned for her role as the recipient of John Cusack’s heartfelt gesture with a boombox in the classic film Say Anything. The working-class athlete falls for the rich, gorgeous valedictorian in Cameron Crowe’s indelible directorial debut
Ione Skye, left, is pictured in a headshot from the 1989 film Say Anything. Right, Matthew Perry in a headshot from Boys Will Be Boys from 1988
Matthew Perry, pictured at a birthday party in 1990
A publicity photo of Ione Skye from the 1989 film Say Anything
Ione Skye is pictured in the 1989 film with John Cusack
‘I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career’: Cusack’s Lloyd Dobler emerged as a new type of sensitive, quirky romantic lead for the late 1980s
In the romantic drama Say Anything, the film directed by Cameron Crowe co-starred John Cusack, whose character Lloyd Dobler famously held a boombox above his head to woo his love interest Diane Court, played by Ione, in one memorable scene that has become a part of pop culture history.
Perry had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball on Saturday, before sending his assistant out on an errand. When the person returned, Perry was said to have been found unresponsive in his hot tub.
Sources told .com that Matthew Perry was lonely and longing for a wife and a family when he died, after a string of failed relationships left him feeling ‘sad and depressed.’
The actor, who shot to fame as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in the seminal 90s sitcom, was found dead at his house in Los Angeles on Saturday after emergency crews were called at around 4pm local time.
Perry never married and he ended his engagement to Molly Hurwitz, a talent manager, in 2021. He also dated several well-known actresses throughout his life, including Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan.
‘Matthew always dreamed of having the perfect family,’ a source close to the star told .com. ‘He wanted a wife, and at least a couple of kids. And he said he wouldn’t even mind marrying a woman who already had kids.’
No one meant more to Perry in this world than his stepfather Keith Morrison the host of Dateline, who married his mother in 1981, the source said.
Perry won a worldwide fanbase for his role as Chandler in Friends, earning him an Emmy nomination in 2002 – but behind the glitz and glamour, he secretly battled substance abuse for decades.
Skye, meanwhile, continued to pursue her acting career, explored painting, and later authored several children’s books. She is pictured in a more recent post from social media
Perry died aged 54 (pictured earlier this week, the last time he was seen in public) at his LA home
Courteney Cox as Monica Geller and Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing are seen in an episode from 2001
Friends was a huge global hit as it ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004
Born on August 19, 1969 in Massachusetts, Perry grew up in Ottawa and was raised by his mother, Suzanne Morrison, a Canadian writer and former press aide for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Morrison and Perry’s father were married from 1968 to 1970 and she later married Canadian broadcast journalist Keith Morrison, who has been on Dateline for decades, in 1981.
In Canada, Perry was a top-rated tennis player but at 15 moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his father, John Bennett Perry, an actor known for several shows, including Falcon Crest, and later on Old Spice commercials.
In the 1980s and ’90s, Perry landed spots on the decades’ most popular TV shows like Charles in Charge, Who’s The Boss?, Growing Pains and Beverly Hills, 90210.
On Sunday, fans of Perry left bunches of flowers outside the iconic Friends ‘apartment’ in New York City – while well-wishers place tributes by his LA home.
Fans left flowers for actor Matthew Perry outside the New York apartment building that was used as the exterior shot for colossally popular TV show Friends
One fan, wearing a Friends tote bag, started crying at the somber tribute
Tearful mourners left bouquets of colorful flowers on the wet sidewalk outside the Friends apartment facade in West Village, Manhattan.
Despite never filming at the location, the Bedford Street building served as the exterior shot in the TV show Friends and soon became an iconic tourist hotspot.
Many people stood out in the pouring rain to lay flowers and leave notes at the makeshift memorial for the much-loved actor. One fan, wearing a Friends tote bag, started crying at the somber tribute.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, fans left bouquets of sunflowers and other tributes in front of the gates to Perry’s home, where he was found dead over the weekend.
Among the items was a miniature batman doll and handwritten cards from fans.