Jennifer Aniston On ‘Friends’ Cast “Mourning” Matthew Perry Before His Death Due To Addiction Struggles: “I’m Glad He’s Out Of That Pain”

Jennifer Aniston opened up about how she and her Friends co-stars grieved Matthew Perry “long” before his death.

In a sprawling cover story with Vanity Fairwhere The Morning Show star discussed everything from her onscreen performances to her experience being tabloid fodder in the 2000s as a result of her relationships, Aniston discussed Perry’s years-long struggles with addiction.

“We did everything we could when we could,” Aniston said of her and her colleagues’ efforts, which Perry also expressed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

“But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight,” she continued. “As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”

Perry died on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54 from what the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office in December 2023 said were the “acute effects of ketamine.” His body was discovered in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home, with the autopsy report also listing drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine — a drug used to treat opioid use disorder — as contributing to his death. Arguably best known for his role as the sarcastic funny-man Chandler Bing, the actor had a protracted public battle with drugs and drinking.

In the most recent update to the fallout of Perry’s overdose death, one of the doctors who supplied him with ketamine entered a long-expected guilty plea to four counts of distribution. Dr. Salvador Plasencia faces up to 40 years behind bars and could end up paying more than $1 million in fines under the plea deal.