The Friends theme song is titled “I’ll Be There For You,” and the same sentiment still seems to apply for the late Matthew Perry and his co-star Courteney Cox.
The actress opened up to CBS Sunday Morning about Perry, who died at age 54 on Oct. 28, 2023, telling the outlet that she “think[s] he’s probably one of the funniest human beings in the world.”
“You know, he’s just so funny. He is genuinely a huge heart, obviously struggled,” she reflected. “I’m so thankful I got to work so closely with him for so many years. He visits me a lot, if we believe in that.”
The interview was conducted by CBS News reporter Jonathan Vigliotti, who replied, “I know you’re a spiritual person, which makes that statement very interesting. So, you still feel his presence?”
Cox explained, “Oh yeah. You know, I talk to my mom, my dad, Matthew – I feel like there are a lotta people that are, I think, that guide us,” she shared. “I do sense, yeah, I sense Matthew’s around for sure.”
Cox and Perry starred alongside each other as Monica Geller and Chandler Bing, whose eventual friends to lovers storyline became an integral part of the beloved sitcom. In fact, Perry prevented the show’s writers from having Chandler cheat on Monica, a plot point they had reportedly planned for the Season 5 episode titled “The One in Vegas: Part 1,” according to Lisa Cash, an actress who guest starred in the episode.
“The day before we were shooting in front of a live audience, I was told that [he] went to the writers and said the audience will never forgive him for cheating on Monica,” Cash recalled to TMZ in November 2023. “Which, he was probably right. That would’ve changed possibly the course of the show and of his character.”
In the weeks following Perry’s passing, Cox took to social media to honor her late co-star, as did Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow. Prior to said tributes, they released a joint statement to People, in which they wrote that they are “all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew.”
In December 2023, an autopsy report revealed that Perry’s cause of death was “acute effects of ketamine.” The report also cited “drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder)” as “contributing factors.”
The Matthew Perry Foundation was also launched on Nov. 3, 2023, with the following mission statement, per the organization’s website: “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction.”
Friends is streaming on Max.
The post Courteney Cox Says She Can “Sense” Her Late ‘Friends’ Co-Star Matthew Perry: “He Visits Me A Lot, If We Believe In That” appeared first on Decider.
